a far better fate
by resonant aura
Summary: A series of 300 word drabbles focused on the Miroku/Kagome pairing. Romance, adventure, wit and friendship, longing and despair, hope and humor-all possibilities when you are dealing with a mysterious monk and a girl from the future. Drabbles range from K to M.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All recognizable intellectual property came from the remarkable imagination of Rumiko Takahashi; rights belong to her and all related licensing companies. I've just rearranged things for fun and entertainment.

A/N: I began this series of ficbits several years ago when I was dismayed by the few offerings of Miroku/Kagome stories out there. (Although there ARE some excellent ones out there - forthright's "Unsought" immediately jumps to mind, and anything by Sandra E is great - and you should go read those if you haven't already!) I also realized that Miroku/Kagome is definitely an alternate pairing in every sense of the word. The canon relationships of Inuyasha are really undeniable - but I loved the idea of these characters coming together so much, I decided to pursue the idea of "How? What if?" I had also been meaning to write for the 30_kisses prompt set for some time and it seemed appropriate to explore the possibilities of Miroku/Kagome with this set.

I'll be posting these in numerical order according to prompt. Each prompt has an A and a B response—one that had to involve a kiss in some form, as per the rules of the set, and one that didn't necessarily have to. All are 300 words (unless I miscounted!) Some are set in a canon universe, some more like canon-esque, and others in a completely made up universe of my own (there are several pieces where Miroku is a student in the modern era). In some pieces the characters use suffixes and in others they don't. I tried to use a variety of tones and perspectives; and as I did start them years ago (2011?) I'm sure they also vary in skill. Feel free to let me know which you like best or least—or PM me if you have any questions!

* * *

#1 – look over here

A: On This Side  
song: Dearly Beloved all variations – Kingdom Hearts games

"Kagome-sama, tell me," Miroku remarked one afternoon as the two of them lagged somewhat behind their companions, "are the courting customs much different in your time?"

"Huh?" Kagome eloquently replied. She blushed and stammered for a moment. "U-Umm, why do you ask?"

"Curiosity."

"Oh. Well, I don't really know…" Kagome trailed off, lost in thought. "I mean, it's not like I've had lots of boyfriends or anything."

"You are not the object of anyone's affections? I find that hard to believe."

Kagome blushed again. "It—it's not that… It's just—hard to be close to someone in the future when I spend all of my time here, and it's secret." Kagome shrugged. "I just haven't had time to think about that sort of thing."

"I understand," Miroku remarked, "Although… I imagine you would find plenty of suitors here in this time, as well."

"Mmm." With sorrowful eyes, Kagome looked ahead into the distance. Miroku followed her gaze and was not surprised to see the very stiff back and guiltily twitching ears of a certain hanyou.

"Well, Kagome-sama." Miroku halted and swept Kagome's hand up to his lips, fixing her with a solemn look. "Allow me to say that I'm sure you will be plagued by an endless supply of amorous admirers, both in the present—" He brushed his lips over the knuckles of her left hand, "—and the future." He mimicked his gesture on her right hand.

"M-Miroku-sama…"

"Oi, you two! Quit laggin' behind!"

Kagome's startled face—once again accompanied by that charming blush—turned obediently towards Inuyasha's brash call. "Uh, c-coming, Inuyasha!" She tugged at her hands. "Miroku-sama, come on…"

Miroku waited until Kagome looked him in the eye, then winked impishly. "And for what it's worth, Kagome-sama… Inuyasha is not the _only_ man in this time."

* * *

B: Irresponsible  
song: Dearly Beloved all variations – Kingdom Hearts games

Kagome stood just inside the smoky confines of Kaede's hut, watching as the affable new addition to their party introduced himself to the women of the village.

"Your name is Aika? How appropriate, Aika-chan, for you have the glow of a woman who is meant to love!" "Oh, don't tell me—you've fallen in love with me already. That's all right, it's no trouble to return the favor…" "You're married? How the heavens curse me! Does your husband know how lucky he is?"

With each smooth line, Kagome felt the mercury in her imaginary thermometer bob upward. She wondered how many come-ons it would take to make her boil over.

"You okay, Kagome-'kaa-san? Your face is red," Shippou noticed. He squeaked when Kagome immediately seized him and clamped her arms around him in a hug.

"Fine, Shippou-kun," she growled, glaring daggers at the silver-tongued monk. She squeezed Shippou tightly enough to make him squawk. "Just fine."

Miroku must have heard them; he glanced over from the village square and extricated himself from his circle of admirers. "Excuse me, ladies, I sense an uneasy spirit within the village." He strolled over to Kagome, looking smug, and apparently oblivious to her anger. "Why, Kagome-sama," he said lightly, "such a thunderous expression on such a beautiful day! What sin!"

"Don't let me rain on your parade," she groused. Shippou snorted.

"Don't be silly," Miroku admonished gently. "Let us banish these dark clouds from your expression!"

And quite unexpectedly, Miroku leaned in, braced by his shakujou, and kissed her—much to the dismay of the village women, by the sound of their cries. It was a quick peck, fast enough that Miroku was able to escape Shippou's offended swipe.

Kagome gaped after him, then yelled, "That doesn't make it better, you know! You jerk!"

* * *

#2 – news; letter

A: Discovered  
song: Salty Dog – Sarah Brightman

The last note. It had been waiting for her. There it was, in the museum, stretched on a frame behind a glass box. Kagome read the description, her stomach sinking and heart pounding:

"Love letter, c. 1520 CE. Discovered by Fujikawa Osamu, Katsushika-ku. Possibly written by yamabushi."

The paper next to it—a copy of the back—revealed one very familiar set of characters. A name. _His._

The letter read:

_To swim in the river of time_

_Is to press the ripples of loss_

_Into my soul._

_With days and seasons coming_

_Bereft of your shadow_

_I retire alone_

_Abandoned even by God_

_To turbulent thoughts._

_Until you swim against the rapids_

_I have only splinters_

_I have only ink_

_I have only words._

_I await._

Kagome didn't remember the long journey back—the running, the buses, the time slip, the path to the village. She found herself gasping at the edge of the village, watching Miroku as he spoke with a farmer quietly, observing a field of turnips. He looked calm and easy; maybe she was wrong…

"Miroku?" she called breathlessly.

When he turned and saw her, she didn't doubt anymore. She ran one more time—straight to him, knocking him into the wooden fence, bruising her lips against his with her teeth, her hair flying all around them.

"Kagome—?" he wondered when she pulled back. "Why are—"

"I found your letters." The shock in his eyes, quickly masked with wariness, made her want to cry. "It _was_ you, wasn't it. You left those letters for me to find, someday."

He sighed heavily. "Not… exactly. Not at first, at least." He studied her face for a moment, then chuckled, bouncing her on his chest. "I think perhaps it's time we spoke of this face to face, Kagome."

* * *

B: False Positive  
song: Firefly – Ed Sheeran

"The doctors in my time said they were sure, and, well…" Kagome turned to Miroku with wide, dewy eyes, her hands clasped beneath her chin. "Miroku-sama—no, _Miroku_—I'm pregnant."

"WH-WH-WHAT!?" Inuyasha howled, sending a flock of birds scattering.

"K-Kagome…" Shippou scampered close to her ankles, his tail puffed out to twice its size. "How…? You didn't—"

Miroku stood beside the well, gaping. His vocal chords scraped together as he wheezed for breath. _D-Did I—? In my sleep…?_

"It's true," Kagome murmured piously, "Miroku and I haven't consummated our—"

"C-_Consummated?!_"

"SIT!—relationship in the usual way," she continued, ignoring Inuyasha's manic scramble in the dirt. She held one hand to her belly. "It's a miracle."

A miracle. Miroku finally stirred himself to blink once, slowly, and focus on Kagome's face. To be honest, he—he had never _really _imagined—and with Kagome-sama, who was certainly pretty but by no means beautiful—

He looked down at her, smooth lips curved in a secretive smile, eyes shining up at him, her hair loose around her shoulders and her temptingly short kimono failing to preserve her modesty. Emotion trickled back to him like pins and needles: disbelief was still foremost, but there was also relief, and no small amount of panic, some bitterness that of course Buddha would see fit to grant him a child _without _the need for earthly contact first—

And—

Wonder? Joy? Excitement?

_Maybe_, he considered, brushing his fingertips against Kagome's hand, _this is…_

"HA!" Kagome suddenly crowed, leaping back. "Got you! As if I'd get _pregnant_!" She blew a raspberry at Inuyasha's nearly upright form. "Sit! _This_ is what you get when you pester me about going home for a week!"

And she ran away. Miroku stared after her as Inuyasha screamed, "KAGOME! GET BACK HERE!"

* * *

#3 – JOLT!

A: Sent Flying  
song: Boom Box - Institute

From her shelter in the lee of the giant cypress tree, Kagome's eyes faithfully followed the snarling red blur of Inuyasha. She gripped her bow, but it never once occurred to her to use it against the rodent demons. What need? Inuyasha was more than enough to—

The tree quivered, she looked up and saw feral red eyes and overgrown, vicious yellow fangs; from one side she heard, "Kagome!" and from another, "Kagome-sama!" and felt, for a single heartbeat, the blood pumping through her neck. There was a squeal, a thump, a grunt, more squealing. She couldn't feel her hands; she couldn't feel the ground.

Then she felt the ground _hard_ underneath as she skidded, mulch and leaf mould grinding into her skin as something solid pressed down on her heavily, and momentum shoved her up into the gnarled, scratchy roots of a neighboring tree. Her head rebounded against a root as something bounced painfully off of her sternum—

Something hit her mouth hard enough to bruise, and she heard the very distinctive click of teeth knocking together, recognized from a couple achingly awkward post-date experiences. She opened her eyes in a daze. Where she expected fuzzy ears and a glare, she found equally dazed, equally _human_ eyes, and the furrowed brow of a very concerned monk. "Are you all right, Kagome-sama?"

Spluttering, uncomfortably aware of Miroku's weight and shoving away the nervously fluttering thoughts of _Did I just touch his mouth? Did he just touch my lips?_ Kagome said, "_You?_"

Miroku gave her a lopsided smile and quickly rose, holding out a polite hand to lift her upright. "Inuyasha can't be everywhere," he said.

_I know that,_ Kagome thought with embarrassed indignation as Miroku turned back to the last of the demons, _but did _you _have to be _there?

* * *

B: The Impossible Cure  
song: Mountains - Institute

"It's no use!" Kagome wailed, stamping her foot impatiently. "I've had these for—hup!—_days_, and they just won't go a—hic!—way!"

"Could it be some kinda curse?" Shippou asked bemusedly.

Inuyasha snorted. "Prob'ly that sham-poo crap," he said derisively. "_Told_ you it stinks."

"Hey! That is some high-quality stuff, you jerk! You should feel lucky that I spend so much—hic!—much—hic!—_money_ trying to smell good for y—"

"Well, it is possible that your current predicament stems from some… unexpected side-effects," Miroku observed thoughtfully. "Has this ever happened to you before, Kagome?"

"Hic! Not this bad."

Sango shifted from foot to foot. "The weather's been steady lately… and she hasn't eaten anything strange, or wandered off… Maybe it really is that potion of yours."

Kagome stamped her foot again. "My _shampoo_ is _not _the reason I have hiccups!"

"Keh! Does it _matter_? Just make 'em _stop_," Inuyasha growled, his ears flicking back to lie flat against his skull as Kagome hiccupped.

"You stop hiccups by scaring someone, right?" said Shippou. In a wink, he transformed into a floating pink sphere and goggled his eyes at her. "Boooo!"

Kagome giggled, then hiccupped twice. "Nice try, Shippou."

"What else might work?" Sango said, worried. "You're not afraid of heights, or water; I guess we could go find a demon…"

"I don't think that'll—" Kagome started, and was shocked to find herself cut off by something other than hiccups. Specifically, Miroku's mouth.

Miroku pulled back from their impromptu kiss, staring at Kagome expectantly. Silence reigned for a long moment while Kagome gazed back, blood rising to her cheeks, until Sango said with exasperated contempt, "Well, that'd scare _any_ girl. Good thinking, houshi-sama."

"It is my sworn duty to provide aid to maidens in need," Miroku avowed, grinning.

[Just for fun, here's the addition that didn't make it in with the word count.]

Kagome had just barely breathed a deep, hiccup-free sigh of relief when she heard that horrible jumpy-breath sound _again_—but not from her. She looked at Miroku, suddenly feeling her heart sink in despair as Miroku stared back, his expression a mixture of shock and frustration. He swallowed, glanced down at himself almost reprovingly, then gave her a carefree smile. "Just a little one," he said. "You see, nothing else seems to be—hic!"

The silence that fell was especially _not_ relieved. It broke with the simultaneous _pop!_ of Shippou's return to his usual form, and the resounding _crack!_ of Inuyasha cracking his knuckles. His smirk seemed peculiarly… fanged. "C'mere, monk," he beckoned. "I can scare those away for ya—_no problem._"

* * *

A/N: More chapters coming soon!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N and disclaimer: see first chapter please.

* * *

#4 – our distance and that person

A: Matchmaker, Matchmaker  
song: Dearest – Inuyasha soundtrack

"Don't be silly, Sango-chan!" Kagome hauled on Sango's wrist and dragged her to the edge of the clearing. When she lost her grip on Sango, she turned with a huff and a scowl.

Sango lingered in the shade of the woods, clinging to a tree. She was biting her lip and staring at the ground. Kagome growled and stomped back to her friend. "Sango-chan," she said, "seriously, if you don't go back out there and talk to him, I will feel like a failure of a matchmaker! At least do it for our friendship!"

"Kagome-chan, I don't… he doesn't…"

"You do, and he does," Kagome replied firmly. "I'm sure of it. Okay so his hand—slipped—again—and your _hiraikotsu_, uh, also slipped—but hey," her tone softened to something barely above a whisper, "I've seen the way he looks at you."

Sango looked up, her eyes wide and glistening with hope. Kagome smiled and tugged at her friend's wrist. "At the very least, if he doesn't apologize and mean it you can hit him again, right?"

With a watery laugh, Sango stumbled out of the shadows and into the waving grass beyond the trees. She took two hesitant steps in the direction of the solitary figure standing in the meadow, then walked hastily forward.

Kagome watched as they met. Miroku took Sango's hands. She could hear their voices but not their words, and smiled as their volume rose and fell. And then Miroku leaned in, and Sango's eyes closed, and they kissed.

Kagome felt the smile freeze on her face and turn brittle. The wind suddenly felt cold, so she turned and walked back to the shelter of the trees. She counted each step until she felt the cool shadows fall upon her face. Then she started counting tears.

* * *

B: Turning Tables  
song: Blank Space – Taylor Swift

She wasn't screaming.

Miroku opened one eye in a cautious squint, still hiding beneath his raised arms.

Kagome stood in the hot spring, clutching her towel to her front with both hands. She was giving him a beady stare, and Miroku found himself completely paralyzed with fear.

_I've never been purified before, _he thought slightly hysterically. _I wonder if it tingles._

"Miroku-_sama_," Kagome said, dropping acidic emphasis on the honorific, "were you peeking on me while I was bathing."

Nervously Miroku started laughing. He spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "Kagome-sama—I was only here keeping watch!"

Kagome's stare gained a glint, and her lips twitched in a tiny smile. Miroku blanched. "Inuyasha's senses are better than a human's," she said blithely. "He keeps watch for me _without_ peeking." Slowly she began to wade towards where he crouched in the bushes. "You know, he's probably already heard us."

Miroku gulped.

Kagome's smile widened, and she wagged one finger in a tutor-like admonishment. "He's _probably_ on his way here _right now_."

_Legs! I need legs!_ Miroku frantically directed his legs to get moving, but he was hypnotized by the gentle swaying glide of Kagome's hips.

"We probably don't have very long till he finds us."

Miroku's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "U-Us?"

Kagome hummed in agreement. She was only inches away now. She leaned up, and he smelled the heat and moisture on her skin, the earth into which his fingers dug for balance, the sweet scent coming off her hair. If he looked down she would probably kill him. He chanced it anyway—and there were her lips, soft and curved in a wicked smile and _so close…_

"Kagome-sama…?" he breathed.

"You're gonna be in _so_ much trouble," she whispered. Then she grinned and screamed, _"Inuyasha!"_

* * *

#5 – "hey, you know…"

A: A Quiet Moment  
song: Memories – Super Junior

"Hey, you know…"

Miroku looked up from the cooking pot—the weather was especially humid and the rice needed more attention than usual—and sought Kagome with his eyes. She was kneeling in the corner, mending a worn pair of tabi. Her hair hid her expression, and when she didn't speak again, he prompted her: "Kagome?"

"I'm glad I chose you," she whispered.

Miroku went very still. He was loath to admit it, but there were still fleeting moments of doubt—even now, nearly two years later, he found it difficult to believe that his life had wound its way to this point. She was so strange, so unexpected and unconventional. It filled him with wonder to be near her… and filled him with dread to think perhaps their simple life was not brilliant enough to satisfy her.

"I still can't believe you did," he hears himself say, and silently rebukes himself for such unrefined honesty.

But then she drops her needle, eyes wide and sparkling in the flickering firelight, and the smile that grows on her face is slow and genuine and warm. "Really?" she asks.

"Really."

"It made sense at the time," she jokes lightly, grinning now, and then comes to kneel beside him and lean into his shoulder. "If only I'd known you're crap at making dinner."

He wants to retort (because her cooking would do just as badly in this heat!), but the sudden intimacy of her confession still has him off-balance. "My apologies," he murmurs. But he can't evade her—she's learned some of his ways now, and she leans even closer despite the heat, catching his chin and turning his head for a slow kiss.

"I forgive you this time," she says huskily. "If it gets overdone I'll make onigiri."

He kisses her again.

* * *

B: Wanderers  
song: Try – Colbie Caillat

"Hey…"

Miroku watched Kagome from the corner of his eye, continuing his steady walking. The path was slippery and clinging from the mud churned up over the last two days of rain; she had already nearly tumbled twice, but she had become so furious with Inuyasha for rescuing her from her own clumsiness that Miroku decided caution was required. "Mmm?"

"I've never traveled before."

Miroku's brows furrowed in confusion. "… Well, that is the normal way of things for most people."

"In my time, it's a lot easier to go places. There are countries on completely different continents that I've never seen before."

Kagome's voice was slow and heavy, like her footsteps. Miroku gently asked, "Does that bother you?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. I mean, yes, it's just—not the way you might think. I've just… stayed in Tokyo all my life. Except for now," she added with a wide gesture encompassing the landscape around them. "Now I don't even know where we are, but it's still Japan, so…"

"Kagome-sama?"

Softly, she asked, "What's it like?"

Miroku thought for a moment. He had been wandering most of his life; he kept his focus trained on his goal, the freedom he sought, the vengeance he would take. But if he separated his journeying experience from his quest… "It's rather lonely, Kagome-sama," he replied.

"Oh. I was afraid of that."

Miroku watched her head sink down towards her chest, then added, "But I think I've been doing it wrong."

Her head shot up. "Eh?"

With a wink, Miroku explained, "If I'd been traveling with a beautiful companion like you, I'm sure the burdens of my journey would have been significantly lessened. Sleeping arrangements, for example—even sleeping on the cold ground beneath a tree—"

To his relief, she laughed.

* * *

#6 – the space between dream and reality

A: Cityscape  
song: Till I Hear You Sing – Ramin Karimloo

"What is all this, then?" Miroku asks, ducking under the bamboo mat covering Kaede's door. The floor is covered in remarkably thin paper, and _that_ is covered in incredibly bright, colorful drawings. At least, he thinks they're drawings—but the drawings also seem to have stuck to Shippou's delighted face and eager paws as well. "More marvels from your era, Kagome-sama?"

"_Stickers!"_ Shippou exclaims, scrambling up to Miroku's shoulder in order to present a bright red oblong on black wheels. "They're stuff from where Kagome lives! She calls it a _sitty escape_."

"Cityscape," Kagome corrects with a laugh. "Would you like to play, Miroku-sama?"

He sits, watching as Shippou actually peels the drawings from their paper and presses them into an elaborately illustrated book, featuring a series of tall blocks. "What are we playing?" When Kagome doesn't answer Miroku glances at her. To his surprise, she looks wistful.

"Kagome-'kaa-san was thinking about the dead people again," Shippou explained with the shockingly frank honesty of a child, "and she wanted to make the world better. So I said, we should make a fun world! Where everyone can play and moms don't die and there are lots of snacks! And she said she could do that and now I'm building the _future_. And people can go really fast in these things called _cars,_ and…"

"An ideal world for Kagome-sama?" Miroku murmurs beneath Shippou's continuing narration with a smile, shooting Kagome a sidelong glance. "Snacks and mothers, hm?"

"And fathers," she replies quietly, "who don't get cursed."

Miroku gazes at her with a shadow of a smile flickering around his mouth, then leans over and presses a tender kiss to her hair. "And, apparently, lots of stickers. Shippou-kun, don't be so greedy with your toys. Buddha would be disappointed. Now where's this car…"

* * *

B: Mourning  
song: Blue royal palace – Tales from the Abyss

"There's this… ritual, I guess… in my time." Kagome takes a deep breath and bends down to run her hands through the unexpectedly pebbly shores of the riverbed. "Sometimes when you pass by a fountain or a waterfall, you toss in a coin to make a wish."

"An offering to the gods?"

"I guess so." Kagome crouches on the balls of her feet, tossing one pebble in her hand as she gazes out vacantly over the ripples. They're shadowy in the dim light of a rising dawn. "The wishes don't really come true though."

"It would be a relief, would it not, Kagome," Miroku murmurs softly, resting one hand on her shoulder, "to make wishes that carry no weight? I've heard of a village in the north; when their people grieve for one who has died, they carry a stone with them marked with the dead loved one's name for one year. Then they go to a holy spring and drop the rocks into the water, and as the rock sinks to the bottom of the lake, so too does their pain and loss."

"Doesn't that stop up the spring, though?"

"Not that I've heard of. What of your fountains?"

"They _do_ get clogged. People have to clean the coins out all the time. That's why the wishes don't come true, probably."

"Hmm." Miroku considers for a moment, then reaches into his sleeve and withdraws a copper coin. He thumbs it into the river and gives Kagome a tiny smile—a real smile. "For you."

"Thanks," she whispers. Slowly, as if caught in a different kind of ritual, she reaches down and picks up a rock. "… So who are you mourning, Miroku?"

Miroku gently takes Kagome's hand, unwraps her fingers from the stone, and drops it to the ground.

* * *

A/N: Trivia corner! The snippet "Mourning" reflects on the phrase: "Don't be afraid of the space between dream and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so." And interestingly, yes, I checked, in the 16th century Japan was using copper currency modeled after the Chinese Ming dynasty's coins. At the beginning of the 17th century economic growth led to Japanese experimentation with gold coins instead.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See first chapter, please.

A/N: If you're inclined to be squicky, 8A (Purity) has some potentially trigger-y material. It's pretty vague, but please be aware.

* * *

#7 – superstar

A: She Who Dance  
song: Muevelo – Sofia Reyes

The first time Miroku sees Kagome and Inuyasha in a battle against a youkai in possession of a shard of the Shikon no Tama, he doesn't know whether to laugh or pray. Kagome—who, as a miko, surely would be an asset fighting youkai?—immediately steps back. She cups her hands around her mouth and cheers Inuyasha on rather shrilly; she's completely unfazed by Inuyasha's yowling replies. She turns to Miroku with a bright smile and says, "Don't worry; this youkai's not _that_ tough. This probably won't take long, if Inuyasha uses his sword right."

"I _know_ how to use my damn sword, wench!"

"Hey! I could still run off with Miroku any time, you jerk! Watch your mouth!"

The fact that Inuyasha's only plan of attack is to run in slashing and hacking is somewhat distressing, but he waits until Inuyasha has hacked the lizard demon to pieces and called Kagome over to fetch the tainted shard.

And Kagome… _dances._

That must be what she's doing—there is clearly meant to be some synchronization involved as Kagome bounds and spins and wiggles her way through the puddles of blood and intestinal fluid. "Don't want no love… Don't wanna give you my number—!" she sings. She clumsily executes a twirl to avoid a hunk of lizard thigh and then bends with surprising grace, legs extended, to pick up the shard of the jewel. And then she pecks the instantly purified crystal with a loud smack of her lips.

"Got it!" She grins and dances back out of the corpse to tuck her hand in Miroku's. "Whew! Maybe time to find someplace to rest tonight?"

He glances at Inuyasha, who is bristling at their entwined fingers. He grins guilelessly; he knows what she's up to, but curiously, he doesn't mind.

* * *

B: Beloved  
song: Muevelo – Sofia Reyes

"The scary thing about Kagome-chan," Sango mutters, "is that she doesn't even _know _what she's doing."

Miroku nods thoughtfully in agreement, eyes resting on the beaming young lady. She's kneeling in the dirt, her knees muddy and her skirt delightfully indecent, teaching a handful of ragged and hungry boys to play a game she calls "marbles." The boys cheer and scramble for pebbles when she sits back. A farmer comes up to her, complaining about a toothache, and she smiles in sympathy and dives into her backpack, chatting brightly with the poor man.

"She brings them hope," Miroku says softly.

"Now swallow one of these every day—with water, but boil it before you drink it—and if the pain gets too bad, grind one of these up and mix it in with your… um… porridge? Do you guys eat porridge here?"

"When we can, miko-sama," the man says in muffled way.

Kagome turns back to the skinny children for a moment, then says, "Hang on, I think I have some extra instant food in here…"

Behind Miroku, Inuyasha grunts. "That's _our_ dinner she's handing out like that."

Without hesitation, Miroku drives the butt of his _shakujou _back into Inuyasha's bare foot. "Inuyasha," he says in a flat tone that makes Sango blink at him in surprise, "_don't_."

"Ow! Shit, _fu_—what'd you do that for?"

"Because you're an idiot," Sango grumbles. Miroku shoots Inuyasha a single quelling look. The hanyou grimaces, but his ears are flat.

Miroku looks back at Kagome and wonders. She said she was just an ordinary girl in her time; unnoticeable in a crowd. But here, she shines and draws others to her—while he can only stand back in awe, quietly grateful just to linger in her shadow and dream of following her example.

* * *

#8 – our own world

A: Purity  
song: Artificial Children – IOSYS

"You've brought this on yourselves."

Kagome shuddered, flinching away from the stinging, oily tendrils of Naraku's miasma as they coiled around her.

"Kagome-sama! Please, you mustn't—_ngh_!"

She could hardly move, paralyzed with horror, but she lifted her head and sought out Miroku. His limbs were stretched taut by Naraku's tentacles; he grimaced in pain, but his eyes, locked on hers, were almost feverishly bright. "Kagome-sama," he said through gritted teeth, "don't listen to him!"

"Your companions…their indiscretions can be forgiven."

Kagome felt the miasma gather, condense, and pierce the core of her spiritual powers. She gasped, choked, felt bile spill from her mouth.

"Their ugly, crude nature gives them the perfect excuse. But _you_…" Through Kagome's swimming vision, Naraku's smooth face appeared, smiling gently. "You are meant to be _pure._ You are better than mere mortals, better than the spawn of demons. There is no excuse for what you did."

"Please, Kagome-sama—_no_!" Miroku, still stretched on the rack of the demon's grisly patchwork body, was dragged to Naraku's side. The juxtaposition of Naraku's easy smirk and Miroku's gasping, pained expression made her nauseous.

"How you must have loathed yourselves," Naraku continued, his voice now barely a whisper, "to give in to your desires, forsake your purity, to abandon _true love_. All to sate your disgusting primal urges." He shook Miroku gently. "I thought your kind were meant to transcend earthly pleasures, monk."

Kagome felt Naraku slide behind her, pulling Miroku so close to her that she felt her breasts crushed against him, felt his labored breath stir her hair. His eyes broke her heart.

"Is this what it was like…?"

Naraku pulled Miroku in, forced the monk's lips against Kagome's. His miasma penetrated her soul again and again, and he laughed while she screamed into her lover's mouth.

* * *

B: No More Time  
song: My Dearest – supercell

After the school day, Miroku did something really unexpected. He found Kagome.

It wasn't like they just bumped into each other outside the shoe lockers. He actually tracked her down outside the volleyball court, catching her just after the club session ended, and stuttered some kind of greeting, because he really wasn't expecting her to know his face or his name or anything about him, really. They walked out of the school together, down the street, past the bus stop, they kept going and she hadn't left yet. Miroku regained his equilibrium gradually, and without feeling too anxious about it he asked her to dinner. They went to a café that served sandwiches and really great English-style fruit tarts, and she said with a bright smile, "You know, I never expected you to be so dorky. All the girls say you're smooth."

"I'm dorky?" he asked with crinkled brows.

"It's a good thing," she laughed.

And after dinner he didn't even ask if she had something else to do, he saw the sun setting and tugged her to the monorail. She didn't question him when he held her hand, or when he bought tickets to the Ferris wheel. She just grinned, pulled her hair back from her face and stepped into the car with him.

They rode the car up in silence, gazing out of the glass walls, sitting across from each other with knees brushing.

"I could get used to this," Kagome whispered. She stood up and pressed her hand to the glass. Miroku watched her expression soften, watched the faint ghost of her in the reflection of the window.

"I could too," he admitted.

He held his breath when Kagome sat beside him and dropped her head on his shoulder. "Let's stay here," she said. "Just us. Miroku."

* * *

#9 – dash

A: Latecomer  
Song: It Has Begun – Starset

Miroku was generally known in the neighborhood to be an unruffled sort of person. Level-headed, easy to talk to, in possession of the kind of calm warmth that spiritual leaders in old legends were always said to wear around them like a well-worn cloak.

This, of course, made it something noteworthy when he parked his car with a screech right outside the hospital's lobby and leapt out of it, nearly collided with the automatic doors, then skidded to a stop at the check-in counter. "Where is she?" he demanded breathlessly. "Wait never mind I know—"

He left the receptionists clucking and the nurses squealing in dismay as he sprinted to the maternity ward.

It was perhaps equally noteworthy that Kagome, lying in a hospital bed with a bundle in her arms, was both quiet and docile when her incredibly late husband finally flung himself through the doorway. His eyes were wide with panic as he clutched the doorframe with both hands. "Did I miss it?" he breathed. "Is he—are you—what—"

"Shhhh… he's sleeping," Kagome murmured.

Miroku stared wordlessly at Kagome's arms. Inside that roll of blankets there was a person. A little person. With a face and eyes and tiny hands and it was a boy and it was _his _and—"I'm so sorry," he whispered, raising his eyes to Kagome's weary, peaceful face. "I didn't—the storms, and the flight was canceled, I couldn't get—"

"It's okay," Kagome said softly. She shifted, cradling her son (_his_ son, their _son…!_) with one hand, extended her free arm to Miroku. "Come meet your baby."

Tentatively, Miroku crept closer. He took Kagome's hand in a tight grip and then looked. His son was… perfect.

To hide his tears, Miroku pressed a long, hard kiss to Kagome's hair.

* * *

B: Baiting the Children  
song: no song!

"God, I'm bored. Hey, I've got an idea! Let's have a race!"

Inuyasha gave Kagome a sideways glance, ears cocked. "A race? What kinda dumb shit are ya goin' on about now?"

Kagome clapped her hands together, beaming. "We'll all race! First one to get… ummm, see that bend in the path, waaaay over there?"

"All that way?" Shippou gasped, eyes wide.

"Yup! First one to get there gets to decide what we eat for dinner! And I brought a whole bunch of new stuff. Ready?"

"Keh. Sounds stupid," Inuyasha snorted.

Shippou stuck out his tongue. "Scared you'll lose, Inuyasha? Bet I could beat you any day!"

"Ha! You wish, runt."

"Then let's see ya try it!"

And with that, Shippou was scampering ahead, shortly followed by an irate, leaping hanyou. Sango chuckled and jumped on Kirara's back, _hiraikotsu_ in her lap. "Did you plan that, Kagome?" Sango asked slyly, but Kagome just shrugged with a grin. "Need a ride?"

"No, I think I'll just enjoy the peace and quiet for a little while. Thanks though!" Kagome waved Sango off cheerfully, giggling a little when she heard Sango challenge Kirara to fly faster.

"Peace and quiet, was it?" She heard the deep voice murmur into her shoulder as a warm arm slid around her hips and tugged her back into a snug embrace. She sighed happily as Miroku tucked his chin into her neck and laughed. "How did you know it would work?"

"Motherly instinct?" she guessed, and was gratified by his interested hum.

"Motherly instinct? Are you sure? I think we should test that theory. I can promise you twins within ten months and we can start research."

"Ten months, huh? You're confident."

"That you'll succumb to my charms? Yes I am."

They laughed and walked, their hands intertwined.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Please see first chapter.

* * *

#10 – 10

A: Whole  
song: Duel of the Fates – Star Wars Ep. I

"The fact is," Miroku murmured to the flames, "I am a cripple."

Kagome gave him a flat look. "You're a… uhm… you're inexperienced because you're… crippled?"

Miroku's smile in the firelight was wan and thin, like a starving man's. "Well. Yes. I do my best to, ah, perform despite my failings but—it's a handicap I may never be rid of."

"You didn't seem all that crippled when you were feeling me up the other day!"

"You couldn't tell?" Miroku met Kagome's eyes with unfeigned surprise. "Truly?"

"I don't see what you're fussing about!"

Slowly, without breaking eye contact, Miroku lifted his right hand from where it lay in his lap. In the flickering firelight of their campfire, the wrinkles of the thick dark cloth seemed to move. It looked like the glove was alive, struggling against the sacred beads wrapped around it, wild and contained. Kagome didn't flinch; she was getting used to things crawling around in the dark. "This hand," Miroku said without a trace of melodrama, "will kill me one day. I cannot in good faith make any kind of promise to any woman knowing that my word is…" He swallowed. "Corrupt."

Kagome was very quiet for a second. Then she said, "Well, you might be a pervert, but I don't see a cripple." She reached for his ungloved hand and spread his fingers. "One, two, three, four, five…" Then she took his other hand and gently touched each fingertip as she counted. "… Six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Ten fingers like every other human. You look whole to me." Whimsically, she leaned down and pressed a quick, noisy kiss to the center of Miroku's palm. "Even if you were broken—there! All better!"

Miroku stared at her, blinked the tears away, and whispered, "Thank you… Kagome-sama."

* * *

B: Oops  
song: Calming Nighttime Rain Sounds – Nature Sounds

When Kagome was ten years old, she fell down her grandfather's well.

He'd been telling her a story about a girl who chased a rabbit down a hole. She'd wanted to watch him cast magic spells on the old (cursed) well, and thought about the rabbit, and came too close to the edge.

She fell, and she screamed, and it was horrible—until it occurred to her that she had been falling for a long, long time, and now it felt less like falling and more like floating. Then she hit the bottom with a thump. She scrambled to her feet and howled for her grandpa, but no one answered, so she climbed the vines on the wall. She was good at climbing, and she made it to the top even though it was further than she'd ever gone before and it made her arms hurt.

It was just as she reached the end of the well that the man appeared.

He was a nice looking man. He had pretty eyes, and pretty earrings, and he looked really surprised to see her. But there was something strange about him.

"Why're you wearing a bathrobe?" she asked him. "It's daytime."

"Bathrobe…?" The man cocked his head, and then laughed. "Is your name… Kagome?"

"Kagome Higurashi," she said, "Yeah. Do you know me? Do you know my grandpa? I fell down the well. Are there any rabbits around here? And why aren't we inside?"

The man was still laughing as he took her hand and helped her balance on the edge of the well. "Kagome-sama… I think perhaps you came—too early? Or too late. Maybe I should help you return to your own—home."

"Kagome-_sama_? I'm just Kagome." She crinkled her nose. "What's your name?"

"Hmmm…" He winked. "It's a secret."

* * *

#11 – gardenia

A: An Air of Flowers  
song: The Boys (English) – SNSD

Shippou asked a question: "'Kaa-san, what's that smell around you?"

"You mean my perfume? Gardenias, I think."

"I think Kagome-'kaa-san and Sango-chan are the best smelling girls in the world!" Shippou announced.

Miroku, carrying the little kit on his shoulder, laughed and heartily agreed. He didn't notice Kagome's calculating look—the narrow-eyed, sly-grinned Cheshire cat face she wore when bad ideas were becoming wicked plots.

And now every day, Sango is mysteriously wearing flowers around her. Roses, wisteria, a crown of cherry blossoms, a necklace of blue dawnflower. For a solid week she wears delicate jasmine blooms, and for another after that she always has some honeysuckle tucked away on her somewhere. Miroku notices in a vague sort of way, but only becomes intrigued when Inuyasha says something thoughtless about Sango's new adornments and earns a viciously acerbic response from Kagome. And he draws Sango to one side and innocently asks her why she has suddenly become so fond of foliage. Blushing, she answers, "W-Well… It was Kagome-chan's idea, actually…"

"Oh really?"

"She thought that—umm… n-never mind!" She spins and marches back to Kirara's side, red as the verbena woven into her hair.

Interesting.

"Kagome?" he asks amiably as they wait outside a tea shop. She cheerfully gathers hydrangea flowers.

"Hmmm?"

"Why are you dressing Sango in flowers?"

"Weeeell…" she sing-songs, "don't you like flowers?"

"Yes…"

"There you go then!"

Miroku catches her arm as she makes to walk off with her harvest. "Are you matchmaking, Kagome-sama?"

"Wh-Wha—" Kagome gulps. "Uh… no…?"

Miroku gives her a steady look, then leans in and swiftly presses his lips to hers. "I think I prefer gardenias," he says huskily.

She gapes at him. "M-Miroku-sama… I… what…?!"

He glances over her shoulder at Sango, who is obliviously eating onigiri. "You'll learn, Kagome-sama."

* * *

B: Language of Flowers  
song: Bios – Mika Kobayashi, Guilty Crown OST

They're called gardenias. I found them wound around the rings of my _shakujou_ one morning. Kagome-sama looked up from making tea, surprisingly bright and awake, and said, "Ohhhh, Miroku-sama, looks like you have a secret admirer!"

"You know these flowers, Kagome-sama?"

"Of course! They're gardenias. In the language of flowers, they mean a secret love."

"A language… of _flowers_…?" Sango rightly observed, since assigning a language to flowers sounds outlandish at best. But I think a language of flowers is more appealing than the language of demons. Something like poetry, maybe.

The next morning they were hidden more subtlely within my sleeve; the morning after, when we stayed at an inn, I found them beneath my zori. Perhaps those incidents might have been coincidental, but then we returned to the Bone Eater's Well. The flowers did not appear while Kagome-sama was gone; when she returned, so did the flowers, these gardenias announcing a secret love.

I can't help but laugh. A _secret_ love? Who could enter our camp to deliver a message without arousing Inuyasha's suspicion? Who else would have a need to reveal a secret affection without claiming it publicly? And who else could send a message in a language none of us know? Oh, Kagome-sama, your intentions are very noble, but your subtlety is, as usual, not your strong suit. There is no mystery here: I think it is you that I shall have a private conversation with sometime soon.

"So, Kagome-sama," I ask her nonchalantly late one afternoon, "what else does this language of flowers say?"

"Huh? Oh… well, all kinds of stuff really. Mostly about relationships." If nothing else gave her away, that blush would. "Um… did you want to send a message with flowers, Miroku-sama?"

"I think my message has already been safely received, Kagome."

* * *

#12 – in a good mood

A: Snow Day  
Song: Best Day of My Life – American Authors

First, Miroku knew it was cold; his nose and ears and one shoulder not covered by the heavy quilt were numb, but the rest of him was blessedly warm and enwrapped in soft, clean sheets. And second, even though he suspected it was past dawn, he was remarkably uninspired to open his eyes or stir.

Perhaps because his wife was currently on top of him. He could hear her breathing in the stillness. Her lips pressed and brushed over his skin at his pulse, the underside of jaw, the tip of his cold nose, the curve of his forehead. Soft, sweet, luxurious caresses. She sucked his earlobe into her mouth for a moment and released it again into the chilly air of the hut. He grumbled.

"Awake yet?" she laughed softly, pressing a feathery kiss to his eyelids. "It snowed last night; I doubt Sango-chan and Inuyasha will be able to make it after all."

"What about Shippou?"

"He's with Sesshoumaru-sama, remember?"

Miroku grunted, then sleepily pulled his delightfully naked wife to the futon beside him. "What time is it?"

"The sun's past the treetops now, so… maybe nine-thirty?"

Miroku laughed and didn't bother to challenge her anachronistic words. "So late? Has something happened?"

"No…"

Miroku groaned. "Then why am I awake?"

He cracked his eyes open just enough to see a tousled and pink-cheeked Kagome smiling softly at him from behind her thick black hair. "I wanted to wake you up… to tell you we can spend the day sleeping," she said cheerfully. "The snow will probably keep everyone inside today. And I wanted to put you in a good mood."

Smiling, he buried his face in the curve of her neck. "A good mood, is it?" he murmured. Cocooned in warmth, alone together, it _was_ a good morning.

* * *

B: Tease  
song: My Love, My Kiss, My Heart – Super Junior

Kagome had made the mistake of asking a question to which she was not ready to hear the answer.

"Do people kiss yet?"

Inuyasha spluttered and made a mess of the mouthful of noodles he had just eaten. Shippou pawed gently at her cheek until she turned towards him and then solemnly said, "What's kissing?"

Rather than tackling that adventure in parenting, Kagome squeezed the fox kit tight and playfully peppered him with loud kisses.

Inuyasha turned red, snorted violently, and proceeded to ignore her question outright. Miroku eyed her with a disturbingly thoughtful gaze, but said nothing and calmly went on eating their humble lunch.

Later on, she realized her slip-up when Miroku blandly asked, "What did you mean by _yet_, Kagome-sama?"

"Urk!" she said eloquently. She had forgotten that Miroku didn't know about the Bone-Eater's Well yet. Before Inuyasha could actually die choking on his own spit, she hastily explained, "Um, here! I meant here. Do people kiss… here. Uh. Oops?"

Miroku's smile was deep and sly, and it made Kagome want to fidget in her seat even though she was strolling beside her bike. "I suspected you were foreign from your strange… customs," he said delicately (not delicate enough that Kagome could suppress her offended snort), "but I had no idea you were so _innocent_. Can it be that women in your homeland do not seek company at your age?"

"Some do," Kagome said with a haughty sniff, "but not this woman."

Smile widening, Miroku sidled close to Kagome and whispered into her ear, "What a shame."

Kagome shrieked and leapt backwards, pointing a shaking finger at the monk. But she hesitated before chewing him out—with his head thrown back, laughing full-heartedly, he was really… well, it made her happy. So Kagome just pouted and walked.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: See first chapter, please.

A/N: This includes some of my personal favorites from the set. I like to get weird with theme prompts and try to write something other than what immediately comes to mind - for example, "perfect blue" immediately makes me think of cliches like a perfect blue sky or perfect blue eyes, maybe the perfect blue bikini, but I tried to find something a little more interesting than those. Another example, 13A came from the thought of a domino chain effect of events leading to an unhappy ending, and how that kind of idea might work in a situation like Kagome's. In all the time traveler stories I've read or seen it's rare to find a traveling character who isn't plagued either by deep paranoia (don't step off the path!) or extreme isolation, i.e. "I can't tell anyone I'm a time traveler because of The Rules and so I will always have a Deep Secret that keeps us Apart!" It's difficult to write a series of important events in a 300-word ficbit, as it turns out, so 13A is a little strange - FYI, it is a _series_ of events happening at different times, excluding the first and last sections (both of the ones with Miroku in them). Also, regarding perfect blue - I'd just seen the Japanese thriller film "Perfect Blue" at the time, so 15A and B were heavily inspired by themes of self-knowledge and self-denial that were explored in the movie. In case it seemed completely random, haha. Enjoy!

* * *

#13 – excessive chain

A: Consequences  
song: Whispering – Spring Awakening

She had slept poorly and gone outside.

"Please don't," he said to her, the rain pattering around them, threatening to extinguish the lantern. His eyes were wide and haunted, his lips swollen from the kisses they had just discovered. "Please—don't leave me."

Sango-chan flew out of the hot spring, sloshing water like a storm on the sea, trying to cover all of herself with her arms as she fled back to the campsite.

Inuyasha… said nothing. He just stood in the middle of the path, hands at his side, his face more serious than she had ever seen before. Almost blank.

Shippou asked, neatly breaking his 'kaa-san's heart in half, "But weren't you supposed to pick someone else?"

There were no shadows in the noonday sun as Sango stood before them, belongings slung over her back. "You've all been so kind. I wish you luck on your journey." Inuyasha was the only one to hug her.

Inuyasha didn't leave, but—he didn't say anything. He just watched her, silently followed where she walked. She tried to talk to him once, when they returned to Kaede's village and he perched in his usual tree as evening came. "Inuyasha?" she called. "Won't you tell me what's going on?" The look her gave her was enough. She turned and retraced her steps to Kaede's hut.

She stood over the well, grating splinters into her fingers as she clutched the rim, and asked the hollow blackness, "Wasn't this going to happen anyway? Don't try to tell me _I _changed things."

She felt his hands wrapped around her waist from behind, his kiss beneath her ear. It felt like chains dragging her to the bottom of the ocean. "I love you," Miroku whispered. "Destiny has nothing to do with it."

"Doesn't it?" she whispered.

* * *

B: Kidnapping  
song: Sunday Blue Sky – Grum

"This is _ridiculous_!" Kagome howled indignantly, one foot stomping the ground. "Why did I ever sign up for this? Oh wait! I _didn't_!" She crossed her arms with vicious energy and glared at her captor. If she squinted her eyes enough, maybe he would disappear. Or he could come closer and she could bite him. "Where did you even get this?" she demanded, shaking the heavy metal chain wrapped many times around the thick trunk of the old pine tree that had been her constant companion for the last three days. "What, so monks just happen to keep a stockpile of torture instruments in their—their meditative caves or whatever!"

Miroku calmly eyed the strange young woman. Three days and she had yet to demonstrate any alarming capabilities aside from a remarkable lung capacity; her demonic companions had found her with amazing speed, but his youki-repelling barrier had been greatly effective.

Unfortunately, it had been three days and she _still_ hadn't agreed to give him the Jewel of Four Souls. His hand was still somewhat numb from his first ill-advised attempt.

He chewed his breakfast of dried fish contemplatively, watching as Kagome yet again wriggled, bounced, twisted, and shimmied against the tree. It was, all things considered, not a bad view, even if he did prefer to have the jewel so he could let her go.

Kagome grunted when she felt a knot in the tree scrape her tailbone and gave up, again. She hated giving up. She'd had to do it so _much_ lately. "Really, really, ridiculous," she muttered, glaring again. The jerk who kidnapped her raised one eyebrow, but he said nothing. He wasn't even offering her breakfast!

"Let. Me. Go," she growled.

"Give me the jewel."

"No!"

Miroku shrugged. "All right. More breakfast for me, then, Kagome-sama."

* * *

#14 – radio/cassette player

A: Old Hat  
song: Light On – David Cook

Eri smiled mischievously as she spun the volume dial on her clock radio. "Something for the mood," she said, tuning it to a jazz station that Kagome, mortified, knew played "Romantic Couples Hour" around this time of night. "Now, remember," her friend chided, "Five whole minutes, and if we come back in and it looks like there hasn't been any smooching, you'll have to suffer… _our punishment._" She glared ominously, then ducked out of the bedroom with a cheerful wave.

The door shut on Yuka's gleeful giggle and Sango's exasperated moan.

"Quite the send-off," Miroku said pleasantly, and Kagome looked at him askance. He gazed back innocently, brows lifted. "What? My roommates used to set up cameras for spin-the-bottle. This is easy."

"Easy. Okay." _It's Miroku. This is the last thing I'd think of as _easy.

But… she wasn't going to get out of here without kissing evidence, and she knew what the girls thought of as punishment. The idea made Kagome shudder. Seeing her shiver and misinterpreting it, Miroku gently said, "Kagome, it's okay. I don't expect you to put yourself in a situation whe—mmf!"

Kagome kept herself still, eyes squeezed shut and hands fisted, telling herself it was just her neighbor and he liked Sango, right, of course this was nothing. She felt a tickle in her hair—his hand. Immediately she pulled back and stared. Miroku seemed… stunned. Shifting nervously on her knees, Kagome asked (reluctantly), "Was that… okay?"

"Okay," Miroku echoed. "Y-Yeah, it was—yeah. It was. Okay." He cleared his throat, Kagome looked away, and the radio served to ease the awkward silence. "Maybe…"

Kagome peeked up through her lashes. _Not hopeful. Nope. Not me._

"Maybe we should," Miroku offered hesitantly, rubbing his neck, "try again…? For proof," he added hastily.

Slowly, Kagome grinned.

* * *

B: Not Gone  
song: Those You've Known – Spring Awakening/Ordinary Day – Aurora

When Kagome finally reached her bedroom, after a long and painful nothing-talk with her family and a never-ending staircase, she turned on every single electronic she could touch. Television. Radio. Laptop. Printer. Broken game station Souta discarded. Watch. Phone. Electric razor she never used. Lamp, lamp, nightlight, overhead light, fan. She pulled out the space heater and ran that too. With a commercial, three different soundtracks and various buzzings and hummings invading the oppressive silence, Kagome flopped on her bed and tried to drown in sound.

It didn't work.

"_Miroku, your hand…!"_

How did they forget? That he was running on borrowed time? They'd gotten complacent; they'd forgotten about him. _She _had forgotten about him.

"_Houshi-sama, _no_!"_

"_Dammit! Get outta there!"_

But he hadn't said anything. Never said anything.

_Kagome let the wind catch her and drag her close, near enough to snag Miroku's robes and hang on for her life. Beneath the pain and naked fear—terrifying—she saw genuine regret. "Kagome-sama…" he said through gritted teeth, "this is not your burden to bear."_

"_I know," she answered. "But I can't—I can't just—you have to stay, Miroku, you just can't go!"_

_The look Miroku slanted her was so full she had trouble meeting it. She blushed, feeling young and stupid and inadequate. Gently (strained), he whispered, "Oh, Kagome-sama… As long as I have no regrets…"_

And he kissed her. The bastard, he kissed her with so much feeling she thought she'd died before the _kazaana_ sucked her in, before Inuyasha grabbed her with careless claws and ran. Before Sango's screams drowned out the wind.

Never said anything.

"Tonight on KGB radio, we keep bringing you more of the hit—!"

With a shriek, Kagome silenced the radio. The announcer talked too much, and didn't say anything good.

* * *

#15 – perfect blue

A: Warp  
song: Diem Ex Dei – Globus

There are things she doesn't tell me. When I can't concentrate because of the hum of electronics, even though I should be accustomed to it, or when I balk at little things like pens or disinfectant or batteries. "You're just traditional," she will say loftily, with a smile. "Sometimes you get lost in there!"

"In where, Kagome?"

"In your head," she teases.

But that doesn't explain it. I'm sure it doesn't. There's too much that doesn't lie straight. When I stared at a package of instant ramen for an hour for no reason. Why the jingle of keys spikes my heart rate. How the sky is too dark all the time.

There are things she always tells me. "It's time to seal the well again." It's never expected, never follows a calendar, but there are always worry lines and tight eyes when she tells me. "I love your earrings. I love your _kesu_. I love you."

"Kagome," I ask her one night, lying on the futon and playing with her hair, "do you ever feel like you're—out of place?"

She tenses. "No."

"Like a… reversed sense of déjà vu."

"No. Why?"

"Well." I rub my right palm listlessly; it often aches, especially at night. Early onset arthritis, the doctors say. "I feel that way."

Kagome turns over, her pajamas rumpled and hair falling into my face as she sits up and cups my cheek. "You shouldn't. Everything is wonderful. Childhood friends from neighboring shrines, grown up and married and taking care of ancient traditions. We're like a fairy tale. It's wonderful. Isn't it?" She twists her fingers around her imitation Shikon no Tama necklace, a familiar old habit. "Isn't it, Miroku?"

There are things she lies about. "Of course it is, Kagome," I whisper, and wordlessly accept her kiss.

* * *

B: Weft  
song: Diem Ex Dei – Globus

The best thing about Miroku is he never asks me questions I can't answer. He asks, "Where did you put my keys?" or "What's for dinner?" I watch him meditate in the courtyard, beneath the Goshinboku, and I smile. He comes home from the store with plastic bags in either hand, grinning about the silly things he said to the cashier girl, and I laugh. We never sense youki and I can sleep soundly. He's never asked me about his power, but it still keeps the well closed. That's enough.

Sometimes he asks me things that are hard to answer. "Why don't I remember…?" gets harder with time. "I don't remember the sky always being so… hazy," he says to me, gazing up into the smoggy summer clouds.

I smile. "The air's clearer in the mountains, huh? You have better memories than me!"

And he smiles back and kisses my cheek. "The summer I found you here, Kagome, was the best memory I could have asked for," he replies, and I smile. I smile.

He never asks me, "What did Naraku do to us?" He never asks me, "Why did the well let me pass?" He never asks me, "Am I happier here with you than I would have been with—?" He never asks me, "Did Inuyasha ever—?"

He never asks me about them. He doesn't remember.

He asks me, breathlessly, if he can kiss me. He asks, when his hand wanders and his grin is merciless, if he should stop. He asks me to marry him.

He never asks me to bear his child.

In return, I don't ask him why he meditates so often, or why he hates cars, or whether or not he is happy. We don't need that kind of knowledge. I just answer yes.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Please see first chapter.

* * *

#16 – invincible/unrivaled

A: Desperate Measures  
song: Shadow – Persona 3 OST

_What happens, _Kagome wondered in a panic, _when I run out of arrows?_

So far, her spiritual powers were their best weapon. Sango had taken a deep cut to an artery in her leg and was taking shelter behind Miroku's barrier while Shippou did his best to bind the wound. Kirara was fighting but she could only take out a few of the demons at a time; and Inuyasha, for all his speed and power, was being overwhelmed. Miroku's sutras had helped for a while, but now that his concentration was on the barrier… Kagome was pacing herself, firing an arrow and taking out swathes of the gull demons when Inuyasha needed the space, but she was having to fire them more and more and they weren't any closer to victory or escape.

_Inuyasha…! _She fired again. At least she didn't have to worry about aim; Inuyasha could dodge, and it's not like the birds were a difficult target. _They're everywhere!_

She reached for another arrow—and her fingers scrabbled at rough leather and empty air. _Oh no! _She watched as Inuyasha flinched away from talons raking over his face and then squeezed her eyes shut, hoping, wishing—

"Kagome-sama!" She startled, and then Miroku's hands were at her shoulders, beads digging into her bones. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," she gasped without thinking.

He took her face in his hands, kissed her hard—and everything changed. Waves of undulating pink and violet light, sparkling with silver, rippled through the air and over the ground. Where they went, demons were vaporized, trees bloomed, and puddles of blood evaporated. The only exceptions were Inuyasha, Shippou, and Kirara: rather than being purified, they were healed by the sea of spiritual power.

Silence fell, and Miroku pulled away slowly.

Kagome shrieked and slapped him.

* * *

B: Kagome's Big Damn Domestic Plan  
song: JjaRaJaJja – SNSD

Operation: Domestic Goddess Supreme Mastery – Commence!

Step 1 (hehehe, easy): cook the ultimate dinner.

Proof of achievement: "Kagome, this is amazing! You should cook for us every day! You should open a restaurant! I'd never eat any other woman's cooking for any price!"

… Uhhh, maybe something more realistic. "Not bad, Kagome! At least you didn't burn this one!"

Grrrrr!

PROOF OF ACHIEVEMENT: blissful silence.

Experiment 1 – omelette! Commence!

Results: a happy Kirara. The egg didn't cook all the way. Inuyasha just ate the ramen. Sango smiled. Marks: D-

Experiment 2 – traditional homemade breakfast! Commence!

(They have tanago in the rivers in this time! Totally forgot!)

Results: a very happy Kirara. Rice didn't drain properly, but still tasty. Sango: "Goodness, Kagome, how early did you wake up to do all this!" Shippou talked about it for ten minutes after. Inuyasha ate it this time!

Notes: Miroku helped me catch and clean the fish (but that's it! Goddesses do it themselves!).

Experiment 3 – tuna and leek hot pot! Commence!

Okay so, trying to get a hot pot to work on a campfire is really challenging. I had to watch it the. whole. Time! I think the seasoning is better this time. Yay shoyu!

Results: Inuyasha complained at first, but after the first bite he was actually polite and asked for seconds and thirds! He didn't even fight Shippou! I MUST be getting better. But… Miroku. He's been totally silent during every single meal! He said thank you, and that's it! Stupid anti-climactic monk…

PROOF OF ACHIEVEMENT: Miroku's nice guy act cracks!

Experiment 4 – miso mackerel! Commence!

Results: Everyone loved it. EXCEPT MIROKU APPARENTLY. That's it, we're having a talk after dinner. He's being so polite it's insulting!

… Step… 2: attract a man?

Proof of achievement: Miroku's a really good kisser.

* * *

#17 – kHz

A: Ghost In Your Machine  
song: KISS (long Version) - Inuyasha soundtrack

Kagome hooked up her recorder to the port in her laptop and waited for the music player to boot up. It was old-fashioned of her, maybe, to use a recorder for her classes—but she had learned a long time ago that just reading textbooks over and over wasn't going to teach her anything except how to rapidly achieve eyestrain. And besides, she thought with a nostalgic smile, she liked old-fashioned things.

The program loaded. Kagome took a breath. She always hated this part—ever since she and Souta watched that American movie about the little boy who sees the dead. Ghosts could talk through electromagnetic waves, supposedly. Kagome was always wary: if she wasn't a prime candidate for attracting restless old spirits, then no one was.

"Humans can't hear anything past 25 kilohertz or something anyway," she laughed to herself, clicking rapidly through the sound bytes. "Like a ghost would know how to target those numbers specifically!"

She played back the first recording of the day and quickly lost herself in more thorough note-taking, allowing the files to play through automatically. And then the last one started and she froze:

"What is this thing?"

"Is this magic from your time, Kagome-'kaa-san?"

"Guys, it's a recorder!"

A loud, staticky sniff. "What's it do?"

"Well, it sort of—uh, your voices leave an imprint on it, I guess, and then you can listen to them again later. It helps you remember stuff?"

"It can get inside your mind?" Oh, Sango-chan.

"Wha—no!"

"I see." Kagome blinked. Had Miroku's voice always been so… pretty? "A device that sends our voices through time. To your future."

The Kagome of the past laughed, while the Kagome of the present swiped away a tear and pressed a gentle kiss to the ghost in her machine.

* * *

B: Study Buddy  
song: Honey and the Bee – Owl City

_Every sound can be measured in kilohertz, although it is a comparably small unit of measurement; megahertz (mHz) and gigahertz (gHz) are far more common, particularly in modern times with the advancement of digital audio equip—_

Kagome rubbed her throbbing temples and squinted in the fading light of sunset. Why couldn't she have fallen _forward_ in time—sometime when they had, like, come up with a direct-to-brain download program for cramming students? Wouldn't that be cool.

She slumped against the pillars leading to the tiny village shrine above. Her head thunked on the wood with a thick thump, making her head hurt worse. She could hear evening birdsong somewhere in the distance. The low hum of conversation drifted through the window slats of a nearby house.

"Gaaaaah!" Kagome growled, rubbing her ears furiously. They were permanently perked and throbbing at every sound. Did Inuyasha feel like this? No wonder they spent so much time walking in the _deserted_ parts of Japan!

"Something wrong?"

Kagome glanced to her left; Miroku was descending the stone staircase, _shakujou_ jangling musically, a stack of _ofuda_ in one hand. "Oh," she said. She still wasn't used to their newest companion; he was so… slippery. "Uh, I'm just… sensitive to noise right now."

"Ah," the monk replied piously, "you must take care, Kagome-sama. A sensitive young lady would make a tempting target for—less pure souls."

Uh-huh, she thought. If only there was a measurement for con-artistry—or trustworthiness. Measuring every sound, huh? I could measure his footsteps… or the sound of his clothes, or that paper, or his kiss—

"Eh?!" she shrieked, turning red. Miroku jumped in surprise. Kagome waved her hands wildly, squeaking, "Ehehe, nothing, sorry! It's nothing! Just—thought of—something weird, haha, never mind!"

Now where the heck did that come from…?

* * *

#18 – "say ahh…"

A: Distracted Student  
song: Songs of the Wind – Billy Gilman

"You aren't focusing, Kagome."

Guiltily, Kagome cracked one eye open and met Miroku's amused but exasperated stare. "I'm trying," she muttered. Louder, she said, "I can't just concentrate on _nothing_, Miroku!"

"You're not meant to. To meditate on the presence of Buddha is to concentrate on both everything and nothing."

"Grrr… that makes even _less _sense!"

Miroku rose with a sigh and crossed to the tree Kagome was sitting under, her legs crossed and shoulders pressed tight to the trunk. He dropped his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently. "You're too tense. Relax." Kagome pursed her lips and forced the tension from her shoulders, but then she developed a determined frown. Miroku laughed and stroked it. "Kagome. Listen to your breathing. Just focus on that for me. If you wander away from it, that's fine, just come back to it."

He watched for a moment, then thumbed her lower lip. She gasped. "In through your nose," he said in a perfectly even voice, "out through your mouth. Sigh when you exhale. Say ahh."

She did, and slowly she forgot about the monk crouching right in front of her. She just breathed—in… out… in… out… in—

"Does it look right?" she breathed, surprised by the dreamy softness of her voice.

Miroku chuckled. "You're glowing; it appears to be a good sign."

"Oh good," she sighed. "Can I open my eyes now?"

Miroku didn't answer.

In hindsight, Kagome would have no idea why she did it or how she knew where he would be: it just seemed like a good idea to lean forward. When she did his mouth was there, his surprisingly smooth lips, his eyelashes tickling her cheekbones. "Was that right too?" she asked. His response was a quiet laugh… and another kiss, longer than the first.

* * *

B: Honest Conversation  
song: A Whole New World (movie excerpt) - Aladdin

"Kagome…"

"I already told you, you don't need resuscitation."

"Forgive me, I was wondering if you might share some of those noodles with me."

"Huh? Oh. Sure, you can finish them even. Here you go."

"Would you leave an injured man to feed himself?"

"… You're fine."

"I can barely hold these chopsticks. Ow!"

"Are you all right?"

"I'm sorry. I'm fine, it's just—it'll take time for my hand to heal from the damage the wind tunnel caused when it ruptured. It… may not fully heal, actually. But Mushin says I'll still be able to use it."

"… Here."

"Hm? Mm—!"

"Was that too big a mouthful?"

"… No."

"All right. Say ahh…"

"Ahh…"

"… Again… You know—you didn't have to do that. With the wind tunnel. I would have been fine. I can take care of myself. Or Inuyasha would have saved me."

"Come closer?"

"I'm close enough!"

"I'm afraid you're dripping on me. Won't Kaede be cross if we get broth on her poultice that she put such care into?"

"Hmph. I don't know why they _all _had to go after that boar demon."

"Are you disappointed you had to stay with me?"

"Wha—? N-No, I—"

"I'm disappointed as well; I would have liked to help them protect the villagers. More?"

"Oh. Here you—mmmmph!"

"Mmm…"

"Mmph! Hm—mmm…"

"… But I have to admit, I'm also glad to have the opportunity to finally do that."

"You—y-y-y-you j-just—you kissed me!"

"Yes."

"And I liked it!"

"Did you?"

"I-I mean—uhm—"

"Kagome…"

"… Are you still hungry, Miroku?"

"One taste is not enough to satisfy a hungry man, Kagome."

"It couldn't hurt to give you a little more, then…"

"Indeed. It would be very cruel to deny a starving, wounded man…"


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: See the first chapter, please.

A/N: 20B is my favorite. :3

* * *

#19 – red

A: Lengthy Shadows  
song: Promise – Thomas Bergersen

"Miroku-sama…" Kagome reached out, meaning to grab a fold of Miroku's _kesu_. Instead the monk glanced at her over his shoulder and met her eyes.

Something happened to her body. She thought maybe she died.

They were walking to the west, and the setting sun was bathing them all in uncomfortably blinding light; with Miroku walking directly in front of her, the sun was blocked enough that she could see his silhouette. His robes were cast in inky shadow, the gold rings of his staff sparkling, and the russet light brought out highlights in his hair, cast a golden tint on the tan of his skin beneath the layer of traveling dust they had all gained. But his eyes—his eyes held a darkness deeper than the hue of his robes, longer than the shadow that stretched behind him. The sorrows and secrets in those eyes—they were terrible… and beautiful.

She didn't know what she was doing, so it didn't occur to her to stop. The gravity in his expression pulled her in, and the hand that was outstretched tangled in his robes. She fell into him like the sun falling into the earth, and just as smoothly, with just as much warmth, her lips brushed over his. Lips that traveled—wind-chapped and narrow, tense with unhappiness, but they moved and Kagome wondered why she had never done this before.

"Kagome."

Her name drew her out of sensory reverie, and the shadows in Miroku's eyes moved and transferred to her. She realized what she'd just done—and was too terrified to pull back, to let it stop, to see the betrayal and shock in her friends' faces. She didn't know who said her name; it didn't matter.

Squeezing her eyes closed over tears and blackness, she did it again.

* * *

B: Keeping It Hot  
song: I Must Not Chase The Boys – Play

Miroku grunted as his head knocked back against the door rather painfully, but seeing as Kagome chose that moment to nip his bottom lip, he found himself sufficiently distracted to ignore the pain. Still, just in case she was worried about his welfare, he really ought to make some gesture to reassure her…

"Ah-ah," Kagome murmured into his mouth (god, that was hot), "no peeking."

"What?" he mumbled. "M'eyes are closed."

Kagome pointedly patted his hand where it was settled quite confidently on the curve of her hip. The… lower curve. "That's peeking."

Well, _that_ sounded interesting. Miroku blinked his eyes open, striving to maintain an even tone. He failed miserably; he had always been temptation's favorite plaything. So, milking it, he whispered huskily, "And what am I peeking at, Kagome?"

She hummed provocatively and zoned in on his collarbone. He let her have her fun for a moment, mind wandering with his hands as he tried to guess at what this present must be. Had she hidden something in her pocket? When she sucked on his Adam's apple, he groaned and forcibly pushed her back. "Kagome," he warned. "I'm not feeling patient."

"'Kay," she said brightly, and immediately began undoing the buttons on her shirt and jeans. Miroku, though he enjoyed watching her in the blue-white glow of the kitchen bulb, felt that as a gentleman he was obliged to lend a hand, which he readily did—until he felt the unmistakable texture of silk under his fingertips and promptly forgot how to move his hands.

Kagome stopped when he did, suddenly looking insecure standing there in an unbuttoned men's shirt, half-shed jeans, and a sheer red lace-and-silk negligee. "So…?" she prompted.

"God, I love you," he gasped, struggling for logic. _Which is better—on or off?_ "Come _here._"

* * *

#20 – the road home

A: Another Path  
song: Cathedrals – Ramin Karimloo

Kagome cheerfully waves goodbye, even though Sango's back is already turned and steadily diminishing. "It's kind of a shame, really," she muses, slowly dropping her hand. "I was hoping she'd come with us."

"Keh," Inuyasha snorts from where he sulks on a fallen tree. "It's not like we _needed_ her or anythin'. I was just offerin' to be nice."

"I wonder if she's gonna be okay," says Shippou. "She doesn't really have anyone left to go home to…"

"I'm sure Sango knows her own heart better than any of us," Miroku interjects gently. "She will find what she needs. She, just like any of us, is looking for serenity; perhaps she feels there is a better chance of finding it down a path other than revenge."

Kagome slides her eyes over to Miroku, then pokes at his ribs slyly. "I'm surprised at you, Miroku-sama. I would have expected you to beg her to stay, a pretty girl like her. She seems just your type."

An easy smile crosses Miroku's face. "Why, Kagome-sama, I didn't know you had such a deep understanding of my preferences. Have you been observing my habits? Perhaps trying to measure your own chances to snare my heart?"

"Wha—huh—!"

Stuttering and blushing, Kagome hastens to defend herself, but really can't manage to get out more than stunted syllables. Miroku's smile widens to a grin and he meets her eyes with a bright intensity that instantly stifles her voice. "In that case…" He leans in close and whispers in her ear: "You should know that my attention could not possibly wander to Sango when _you_ are nearby." He glides past her, chuckling, and Kagome is rooted to the spot, wondering if her skin is truly tingling because he kissed it or if she just imagined it.

* * *

B: Say Goodbye  
song: Krone – Guilty Crown OST

"We did it," Kagome breathed, looking out over the side of the mountain. "We actually did it. It's over. Right?"

Beside her, Miroku flexed his hand, freed for the first time in years of its protective glove and sacred beads. "This time it's real, Kagome-sama," he said with a smile.

"Thank goodness."

She could hear Inuyasha behind her, handing Kouga-kun off to his packmates with a gruff, brash exchange of thanks. Sango had disappeared shortly after the battle with Kohaku's body—no one wanted to interrupt her mourning, and Kagome expected they wouldn't try to find her until after nightfall.

"So…" she said, forcing cheer into her voice. "You're gonna be busy, huh?"

"What?"

"I mean—well, you're gonna marry Sango soon, aren't you?"

Miroku rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, dimpling like a little boy. "Well… I haven't asked her yet."

"You guys will have a house near Inuyasha's forest. You'll protect the village, and have a ton of babies, and Inuyasha can be their mean old uncle and Shippou will teach them to do tricks. You will watch over him, won't you?"

"Of course, we'd be happy to," Miroku said with a puzzled frown, "but won't you be here with us? Sango would want you to be with her—and Inuyasha—"

Kagome shook her head slowly. "You all have homes here. I have to go back to my own time."

"But the well hasn't taken you back yet. Surely you _could_ stay…"

"Not because of the well," Kagome said softly. She met Miroku's wide, startled eyes, then purposefully stepped close to him and cupped his cheek. Before he could speak, she stood on tiptoe and gently pressed her lips to his. Harder, warmer, deeper—

She stumbled when he pulled away. She smiled, lips trembling. "That's why."

* * *

#21 – violence, pillage/plunder, extortion

A: Why Don't You  
song: Fight or Flight – AC Revelations OST

"Are you _serious_?" Kagome shrieked. Only three of the dozen or so men involved in the brawl actually stopped, blinking at her dully. She growled and waded into the fray, swinging her heavy backpack around willy-nilly. "I can't—_believe _—that I come back here—and _still_—I have to worry about morons—and idiots—and—and—_bar fights!_"

The drunken villagers toppled away from Kagome's wrathful bashing, revealing her target: an obviously tipsy Miroku, wrestling with a brawny young farmer. Kagome didn't hesitate. She walloped him between his shoulder blades with her backpack, then dragged it and the breathless monk out of the sultry hut.

"What was _that_? I come back from the future thinking everyone is _waiting_ for me, that we're ready to continue our _quest_, only to find out that you're _missing!_ Because you came to a _bar_! To get drunk! _In the middle of the day!_" Kagome finally dropped the struggling Miroku in the dirt and rounded on him, her hands fisted on her hips. "What do you have to say for yourself?" she hissed.

"Have you given up on me, Kagome-sama?"

Kagome checked and really looked at Miroku. He was smiling—grimacing—and his eyes were darker than she had ever seen. Black… and angry. "I didn't come to get drunk," he chuckled. "I came to fight."

"To fight? Why?"

Miroku shrugged, flexing the fingers of his left hand. "It seemed like a good idea at the time." He peered up at her. "I'm surprised you came after me, Kagome-sama."

Kagome bit her lip. "Well… you…" She trailed off, staring at him. Then, abruptly, she crouched in front of him and pressed a kiss into his cheek. "Don't do it anymore," she said. She spun on her heel and marched away, and she didn't look back.

* * *

B: Exploitation  
song: No Mistakes – AC Revelations OST

To gain a nobleman's confidence, defer to his pride and mention his possessions (to be acquired). To sweeten a lady's mood, flattery will always work. (Among other things.) Samurai appreciate solemnity and innkeepers love humility. Other monks are… best avoided. To almost all of them, he was, in one way or another, a tool.

To Kagome-sama…

"Um… Miroku-sama, did that lord really just _give_ you all this stuff?"

"He was very grateful to us for defeating that beetle demon."

"Yeah, but… I can't believe he gave you a whole wagon. And this looks like the stuff that was in our guest rooms!"

"Keh. Stupid monk just stole it, obviously."

"Inuyasha!"

"Inuyasha is entitled to his opinion," Miroku replied diplomatically from his seat at the wagon's front. "But Kagome-sama, I—well. Never mind."

"What?"

He looked down into her wide eyes, her expectant face, and quietly said, "It… saddens me to think that you would suspect me of _robbing_ these people. These are violent days; it goes against my teachings to encourage that violence by profiting from it. I would like to think I have your… respect, if not your friendship—"

"Oh, Miroku-sama…!" Kagome's eyes were glistening. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Oi, Kagome! Don't listen to him!" Inuyasha squawked. "He's manipulating you!"

"No he isn't! He's just talking about his feelings—something you could do more often! Hmph!"

Miroku smiled. "You honor me with your high regard. I was wondering… would you care to ride beside me?"

"Sure!"

As he lifted her up and pulled her (slowly) across his lap to the empty seat, he was undeniably smug. But also—touched. And… uncomfortable. Kagome was exploitable, like everyone else, but her weaknesses were unexpected. _She doesn't care about riches or beauty. She cares about… my feelings. Me._


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: see first chapter, please.

* * *

#22 - cradle

A: Care and Caring  
song: Love Me Like You Do – Ellie Goulding

Inuyasha noticed first: "Hurry it up, wench! We don't have all day!"

"But we don't have anything else to do—ow!" Shippou yowled, jumping from Inuyasha's shoulder to Miroku's with his sore head cradled in both hands. "Well we don't!"

"Keh."

And then Shippou noticed: "Kagome-'kaa-san, did you hurt your foot somewhere?"

"Hm? Oh… I think I might have gotten a rock stuck in my shoe. Maybe."

Sango figured it out: "Did you twist your ankle when you tripped?"

"Uhh…"

"Keh. Nice goin', Kagome."

"Hey! It's not like I did it on purpose!"

"_Some _of us manage to walk just fine _without_ your weird shoes!"

"SIT!"

But in the end, it was Miroku who made it all better.

"Let me see," he said calmly after they made a hasty camp in the shallows of a streambed. Kagome winced as she took off her shoe and peeled away the sock; already her ankle was noticeably swollen and blue with bruising. With utmost care Miroku lowered her foot into the stream and held it in the icy water. Then he drew it into his lap and began gently massaging the unblemished soles of her foot.

"Um," Kagome stuttered, blushing, "that isn't necessary…"

Miroku cradled her heel in one palm and glanced up at her with twinkling eyes. "Your comfort is a necessity to me, Kagome-sama."

"Jeez, Miroku-sama, really…"

"I mean it," he said. Kagome checked, startled by the solemnity in his voice. His thumbs pressed into the arch of her foot, making her hiss and jerk, but he held her utterly still in his warm hands. "You aren't very careful with yourself." He considered her ankle, then bent to press his lips in a kiss she barely felt to the knobby bone there. "You could try a little harder—for me, Kagome-sama."

* * *

B: Let Me Help You  
song: That xx_xx – G-Dragon

"Kagome…?" Mrs. Higurashi eased her daughter's bedroom door open. "Your friend is here from school. How do you feel?"

Kagome groaned and lumbered upright on her elbows. "Uhhh… it's fine, you can let them in." She sluggishly scooped up the field of used tissues littering her bedspread and shoved them into the wastebasket. The wooden headboard was making her neck hurt and the pillows were too lumpy. What a pain.

"Kagome?" Radiating his ridiculously calm energy, Miroku stepped carefully through the door, a stack of papers in his arms. "How are you feeling?"

Weakly, Kagome smiled and pushed herself further upright. Her head felt like a brick and her voice sounded like a frog. Could it get much worse? "I'm fine. It's just flu."

"I hope you're taking care of yourself; flu isn't 'just' anything," Miroku chided mildly, crossing to the bed to hand off his papers. "I brought you the homework for today. I'm happy to stay and help you through it, if you feel like it…"

"Uh—" Kagome coughed violently into a tissue, then smiled blearily. "Sure, sounds good…" She winced as the cold wood touched a strip of bare skin at her lower back. Miroku frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh—just the headboard, it's not so comfy but—Miroku!"

Miroku didn't flinch at her slightly panicky reprimand: he firmly pushed her forward in the bed and slid in behind her, resting his arms in a comfortable circle around her hips. Kagome was too stuffed up and dizzy to do much but stutter in shock. "Shhh…" he soothed. "Kagome, you're sick. You don't need to make yourself even more uncomfortable to keep up appearances. Let me help you."

With a slow breath, Kagome relaxed back into his solid warmth.

"Shall we start with literature…? Here, I'll read…"

* * *

#23 – candy

A: Naughty, Naughty, Nice  
song: Ice Cream (live) – Sarah McLachlan

At night, when Sango was asleep and Inuyasha in his tree, Kagome would sneak away from camp. Soon after, Miroku would follow; he would wrap his _shakujou_ in a silk kerchief of Kagome's and pad away on bare feet.

Miroku had asked to learn more about Kagome's world, and Kagome had obliged.

"Open your mouth," she murmured, smoothing her cool fingertips down his jawline. Obligingly, Miroku parted his lips; she felt his sharp inhale sweep over the backs of her hands. The night was cold, but she felt warm. She smiled at his blindfolded eyes and placed a mint on his lip, waiting until he took it with his teeth. "Peppermint," she said, and waited for the candy to dissolve before doing the same thing with chocolate, caramel, a cherry Jolly Rancher, and a green gumdrop.

"Swallow," she directed after the gumdrop, then popped a caramel in her mouth, letting it melt while she gently stroked the blindfold. She loved his eyes, but this was fun too, in its own way.

"Kagome?" he whispered. She felt her abdomen tighten at his low, hoarse voice. Without a word she leaned in and slowly, slowly kissed him, teasing his lips and gently nibbling his lower lip before opening her mouth and licking at his tongue with hers.

"What is it?" she asked softly, not even a breath away from his mouth. He groaned, closed in for another kiss. "C'mon," she laughed, "tell me what it is."

"Uhhh… ngghh—"

"Try again."

"Ka—k-karu—"

Close enough, she decided, and buried her hands in his hair as she kissed him again, wrapping her tongue around his and twisting the caramel between their mouths. When the sugar finally dissolved, Miroku drew back (hands dangerously low on her hips), swallowed, and whispered, "Teach me another."

* * *

B: Photograph  
song: Departures ~Anata ni Okuru Ai no Uta~ TV edit - EGOIST

The taste of burgers and milkshakes was always something close to ecstasy after weeks of rice and instant ramen. Kagome closed her eyes in bliss, savoring every bite of her Wackdonald's Fantastic Spastic Triple Burger. It was maybe a perfect moment.

"Oh, wow, look at their clothes! You weren't kidding about the reenactment enthusiasm, huh, Kagome?"

"Awww, look at his tail! So cute—it almost looks real!"

"Man, just look at her skin! I wish I looked like that. And her figure, too—"

"Oh my goooosh, _look_ at him! This must be him, right, Kagome? This is Inuyasha?"

Reluctantly dropping her burger back to the basket, Kagome leaned over the table to see which photograph Eri was pointing at. It had been kind of a struggle to get her friends in the past to accept a camera's purpose—Inuyasha still pouted and cringed whenever he saw one—but eventually, by taking lots of candid shots, they'd all gotten used to it. She pushed the napkin dispenser out of the way, expecting to see the dorky baseball hat she'd convinced him to wear for a portrait shot (she thought he looked best in that one), and then stared in confusion.

"Uhhh… no, that isn't him." She scanned the photos and pulled out the one she'd been thinking of. "_This _is Inuyasha."

"Oh." Eri's brows quirked skeptically. "Well, he's cute too, but—I mean _this _guy. Who is he? Does he have a girlfriend?"

"That's Miroku. He's a total pervert, though. Not good boyfriend material."

Ayame leaned in and shuffled through the photos, pulling a candid of Miroku smiling quietly as he fed something to Kirara on his shoulder. "Who cares! Just look at all that eye candy! There's more of him, right?"

Kagome sighed and sucked contemplatively at her milkshake.

* * *

#24 – good night

A: On the Eve of Your Death  
song: Do What You Have To Do (live) – Sarah McLachlan

Even though the sun is still high above the treetops, they all wordlessly agree to set up camp at the foothills of the mountain. They gather firewood for nightfall and Kagome prepares dinner; Shippou is delighted by the addition of pocky to the menu.

It isn't until later—still an hour before sunset—that Kagome notices Inuyasha strolling back from the trees, leaving a pensive Miroku behind. She can see even from here the line of tension across his shoulders. "Inuyasha?" she asks softly, but he shakes his head and looks at Sango.

Fifteen minutes later, Sango comes back and whispers to Kagome beneath the whistle of the tea kettle, "Can you talk to him?"

Kagome rises and crunches through the dead leaves to her friend. He doesn't acknowledge her, merely stands still, slowly rubbing his thumb over his right palm.

She waits, then asks, "Nervous?"

"… No," he answers slowly. "I've been waiting for this day since I was a child, but now that I'm here, it doesn't feel strange."

"Well, something's bothering you. Spit it out."

Miroku takes a breath, then meets her eyes. "Have you thought about your final wish?"

"Final wish? You mean—"

"For the jewel."

"Oh." Kagome winces, stares at the leaves. "I've been thinking about it. I still—don't know what to do, exactly. Really all I can do is—try."

"Yes," Miroku murmurs. "I think you would do well. You have so few regrets, Kagome-sama." He smiles at her shocked expression. "That's what I think—when they say your soul is pure."

"Do you have regrets, Miroku-sama?"

He gazes at her with bottomless eyes, then takes her hand and presses a long kiss to the pulse in her wrist. When Kagome remembers to breathe, he whispers into her skin, "Not tonight, Kagome."

* * *

B: An Interlude on a Balcony  
song: Love On You – U-KISS

The boy next door smelled like pine oil. All the time. His apartment smelled like patchouli—it came through the open windows—and whenever she was in the elevator with him, or even walking past him in the lobby, she could smell him, fresh and spicy and really kind of _gorgeous._ Kagome leaned on the frame of the tiny balcony door, gazing at her neighbor's window. He was home. Kinda late; she'd only just got home and it was nearly midnight.

Kagome looked down at her toes, brushing her teeth with the absentminded vigor of the truly exhausted, then decided that it wasn't worth it to repaint them this late. Peeling polish and old cotton pyjamas were totally a fashion statement, she told herself, and tomorrow would be Sunday so she wouldn't have to worry about—

"Late night?"

Her head jerked up, and there he was, in dark sweatpants and a tank top, arms braced on the wrought iron balcony rail as he tossed her a weary, wry smile. The air smelled like pine.

It took four long seconds for Kagome to remember that she was standing barefoot outside with wet hair and toothpaste foam dribbling down her chin. She gasped, choked on her own foam, squeaked, and fled for her bathroom, where she rinsed every last speck of mint out of her mouth.

_I hate toothpaste. I hate pyjamas. I hate balconies. I hate—_

"Kagome?" the smooth voice floated through her tiny apartment.

She glared suspiciously at the balcony. Then she twisted her hair up with a pencil and poked her head back out. "Uhh… you know my name?"

A shadow of a smirk lingered around his mouth. "Name plate?"

Stupid. "Oh."

"It's rude to disappear without saying good night," he said evenly. "Or introductions. My name is Miroku."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Please see first chapter!

A/N: The title for 25B is a joke between me and my friends, who think it's funny to say words incorrectly. If you're doing a big fancy escape, it's an ESCAPÉ!

* * *

#25 – fence

A: Sit Boy  
song: Ring My Bells – Enrique Iglesias

Kagome was a modern woman, with modern sensibilities and modern principles. She also had a modern way of tackling problems: When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When fighting off demons and using magic, may as well use magic.

"And this will seal it for sure?"

"Aye," Kaede said in her gravelly voice. "As with most charms and protections, ye must be absolutely clear. If your intention wavers for even a moment the seal will not hold. Best to strengthen the magic with a gesture or a phrase. Are ye ready, child?"

She was a little nervous, but Kagome wasn't one for hesitation. She clenched her fist around the subjugation beads and marched out after her target. He was, fortuitously, just outside Kaede's hut—and about to strike, hand extended, the gleam of victory clearly shining in his eyes.

"Not this time, buster!" Kagome cried, virtuously striking a pose (complete with accusatory finger pointing) and then lunging forward. She hollered her war cry just as she wrapped the subjugation beads around the offending weapon: The Evil Hand.

From overhead, she clearly heard Miroku stutter, "Wait, Kagome-sama—uh, it wasn't—I didn't mean—w-wait!"

_Okay, gesture, gesture… oh wait, I know!_ With a vicious smirk, Kagome took the monk's wandering hand and firmly clapped it over his own buttock, then (blushing horribly, but reminding herself that it was for the common good) pressed a kiss to the indigo beads alternating with silver. Thank god she only kissed cool wood and metal, not… other things. Even though she definitely heard Miroku choke.

She hopped back, and she, Miroku, and Sango—who had her _hiraikotsu_ in hand, but had frozen in shock when Kagome attacked—blinked at one another skeptically.

"Did it work?" Kagome wondered aloud. Only one way to find out.

* * *

B: ESCAPÉ  
song: Flight Over Venice 2 – Assassin's Creed 2 OST

Miroku continued his meditation, eyes closed. There was no way out of the room save the opening in the ceiling, but he had no way to reach it. And so, he waited. Surely when his captors returned, he would be ready—

"Miroku-sama!"

"Gah!" Miroku jumped. Sprawled on the floor, he stared up at the open roof. Kagome's face was barely lit by the lamp's glow, the stars speckling the night sky behind her cheery grin. "K-Kagome-sama?"

She waved. "Sorry I'm late! Here, hold onto this."

A rope with a loop knotted into the end flopped onto the tatami. Miroku stared at it.

"C'mon!" Kagome hissed. "Those blood priestesses will be back soon. Just put your foot in that and I'll pull you up."

"How did you find me?"

"Well, we heard a rumor about some gorgeous priestesses running a scam up here and figured you'd be nearby."

Miroku ground his teeth as he followed Kagome's instructions and stepped into the loop. "But… how could you _get_ here? The waterfalls, and then the dragon, and the purification rites—how did you get up there? Is Inuyasha with you?"

"The hardest part was the fence around this place. I had to climb." Kagome stuck her tongue out. "And no, he can't get past the fence. Purified, remember? Don't worry, I can still pull you up. This cool thing about leverage and pulleys, I learned about it in physics class—"

Her silhouette disappeared, but her bright whisper pattered on, and Miroku found himself smiling as she slowly pulled him up onto the roof.

"Whew," she said when he safely landed, "silkworm demons, huh? They make great rope—" She went silent as Miroku embraced her tightly.

"You came for me. On your own, Kagome," he whispered. "Why?"

"… How could I not?"

* * *

#26 – if only I could make you mine

A: Tongue-tied  
song: Departures ~Blessing~ - EGOIST

"I… I was wondering… i-if you would letmebearyourchild."

… _What_ did she just say?

"Kagome? Wh-what—?"

But Miroku can't speak, partly because he's lost all his breath from Kagome tackling him to the ground and partly because she's mashed her lips into his and all his words are just muffled noises. He grabs her shoulders and pushes her firmly back (but only a couple of inches, because—because her skin, and her blush, and her _smell_). "_Kagome_."

"Sorry, sorry sorry," she mutters, now trying to pull back from his hands. "I'm doing it wrong, I know—"

"No, Kagome—wait." He hesitates, because he already has his suspicions. Why else would she come to him? And if he's being used as a replacement for—someone else—he doesn't really want to know. It would be an ironic demonstration of cosmic justice, but… not from Kagome. Not like this. He won't. "Kagome," he says carefully, "why did you do that?"

"I just—" She's nearly crying as she says, "You would be different. I don't know—I—" Slowly she falls to her knees. Miroku follows her down, concerned by her collapse, and it's only because he's caught her that he hears, "Would it hurt?"

Miroku closes his eyes. He wants to say of course not. He wants to say he would be different. He wants to say he could show her. He could show her that it does not have to be brusque words and snarling refusals, because for all his acts and teasing, in his heart he has built a silent harbor where he keeps all his thoughts of her.

She has a destiny… and he knows better than to fight that.

He presses a single, secret kiss to her neck. "I wish I could tell you, Kagome."

* * *

B: The Wisdom of Men  
song: Byzantium – Assassin's Creed Revelations OST

It was easy enough to pretend like everything was fine. Build the fire. Fetch water. Make dinner. Play with Shippou. Stop Inuyasha from beating Shippou up.

Ignore Inuyasha's distant gaze. Ignore Inuyasha's silence. Ignore Inuyasha leaving.

Technically speaking Kagome knew that wandering off alone was one of the stupidest things a girl could do in the Sengoku Jidai… but that hadn't stopped her before, so she left their camp and found shelter in the wide roots of an old tree and sat there, sniffing the evergreen-scented air and wishing. _It's all I'm good for, anyway._

"I take it Inuyasha will not be returning to us tonight."

Kagome startled and turned around. Miroku leaned on his _shakujou_ nearby, looking off into the woods. She drooped. "No. I guess not."

"He is searching for Kikyo-sama."

"Yeah," she whispered. "Unless he's found her already."

"Are you all right?"

Kagome smiled down at her feet. "I understand how she feels. Kikyo, I mean. We both kind of want the same thing."

Miroku eased closer and leaned against the tree. "And what might that be?"

Kagome considered. Then she said, "To feel like our love was… real."

"Mmm." Miroku glanced at Kagome, then took a seat beside her. "In my experience, love, no matter what form it comes in or to whom it is directed, is _always _real."

"Even unrequited love?"

"Especially that."

Surprised, Kagome gave the monk a searching look. He endured her examination with a calm smile, then said, "Love is not defined by the receptivity of its object or by the happiness or pain it creates. It's defined by certainty. If _you_ feel your love is real, then it is, Kagome-sama."

"I… Thank you, Miroku-sama?" Kagome giggled. "When did you get so wise?"

Miroku winked. "I am but a humble monk, Kagome-sama."

* * *

#27 – overflow

A: Spontaneous Combustion

song: Goldeneye – Tina Turner

We see a lot of young men come to the inn these days; impoverished men seeking jobs, or soldiers who were separated from their clans. Occasionally we see a minor nobleman, someone important—that's when I'm usually bustled into the back rooms, hidden away to be presented as a surprise gift when the visitors are seated for dinner.

But I've never seen anyone like him.

He's young, but he's no soldier; he wears the thick _kesu_ of the mountain _yamabushi_, yet he is already winking at Haruki and Kaori. He grins at Kaori as she flutters away, but… I think—he seems so—

"What are you waiting for?" the innkeeper, Katsu-san, hisses to me, and I quickly enter the room, kneeling silently at the man's side to pour sake for him.

"And who is this lovely creature?"

I press my tiny, secret smile to my lips and look humbly at his shoulders. It is not my place to meet a man's gaze as an equal. But then, I feel—it _shocks_ me, this feeling, fingertips at my chin, against my throat. I'm so surprised I meet his gaze, and then—

His eyes… they're the indigo of the high skies at sunset, dark and sweet. And sad. As I thought. And… beautiful.

"Who are you?" he asks me, and sounds as shocked as I feel.

"Kagome," I reply simply.

"Kagome," he echoes, and looks at my mouth with such intensity I feel as if he has already kissed me, already stated his intent with touch and breath and sound. "I'm Miroku."

"Miroku," I whisper.

His fingers brush my throat. "Would you…"

He never finished; I had poured his sake all this time, and his cup overflowed, dripping onto my kimono. Katsu-san bustled over, red in the face, and I was—disappointed.

* * *

B: Waterlogged  
song: Lively Step – Star Ocean 3 OST

It was really, really unfair, Kagome reflected as she viciously kicked her way to the surface, that the Bone-Eater's Well had suddenly—and _without warning_—decided to be an actual well again. One that didn't eat demon corpses but just tried to drown innocent time-traveling people for laughs.

She finally reached the surface, and with much splashing, coughing, retching, heaving, gasping, grunting, howling, and other sounds that were not specifically named in a dictionary but certainly fell into the category of "frustrated, possibly human", she hauled her backpack up onto the ledge and followed it out to collapse on the grass.

"Kagome-sama!" hailed a familiar voice. Her eyes snapped open and she leapt to her feet, briefly distracted by the disgusting squelch of her shoes (miraculously still there).

"_Who turned the well back into a well!?" _she screeched as soon as she saw Miroku approach. Several of the farmers from the village were also with him, and they all looked utterly dumbfounded by her current state of waterlogged-ness.

"Kagome-sama," Miroku gasped, hurrying to her, "are you all right?"

"I'd be better if I had gills!"

"I'm so sorry. The farmers and I have been plotting the area to find new sources of fresh water—we were digging in a likely spot, and I suppose the groundwater leaked into the Bone-Eater's Well."

"Leaked. Leaked?! More like _flooded_! I could have drowned and none of you would've known! Oh god—how am I gonna get home?!"

Miroku patted her back. "It's all right, Kagome-sama. We'll drain it and you can travel just as before." He glanced down at her clothes, then grinned. "But I must admit, the well has some very pleasing effects as it is."

Kagome looked down at her transparent shirt and screamed. "Hey! You lecher! Stop leering at me!"


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Please see the first chapter!

A/N: The final set! I hope you enjoyed these little whimsies.

* * *

#28 – WADA calcium CD3

A: Modern Inconveniences  
song: Kiss Kiss Kiss - SHINee

The first time Miroku fell ill from poison, Kagome panicked. The only way she was able to accept the existence of the _kazaana_ was by imagining it as a sort of black hole, and since physics said it was impossible to have a black hole in your hand and—well, _not die_—she couldn't imagine it as actually _connected _to him. But apparently the _kazaana_ was more like a stomach than a black hole; whatever was absorbed by the curse was literally absorbed into his body and affected it just as much as if he had taken a physical blow.

… She didn't really want to think about that in too much detail.

Regardless, she knelt over a prostrate, panting monk, rummaging frantically through her bulging backpack while Shippou whined piteously and Inuyasha sat in a corner, silent but scowling unhappily. "Do you have something that'll help him?" Shippou demanded for the third time.

"I'm trying, Shippou-kun," Kagome answered sharply, snappy with anxiety. She shoved aside bottle after bottle—rubbing alcohol—calcium supplements—co-enzyme Q10—_Women's One-A-Day_, why the hell didn't she have some kind of poison-undoer?! She bit her lip and settled for wiping away the sweat beading on Miroku's brow. "I don't know," she whispered, anxious, "I don't know what to do…"

Night fell; Inuyasha left the hut, presumably to keep watch, and Shippou fell into a restless sleep. Kagome stayed awake, bathing the suffering man's face with cool cloths and holding his hand. At a loss, wound up with fear and pain, Kagome leaned over and brushed her lips against Miroku's damp forehead like her mother used to do when she was sick. "Please get better…" she whispered. There was no reply, but she could have sworn she felt him squeeze her hand. It gave her hope.

* * *

B: Take Care  
song: Kiss Kiss Kiss - SHINee

Miroku, being a curious boy and enthusiastically taught by his wise old uncle to pay attention to a lady, poked around Kagome's kitchen while she was upstairs. There were newspaper clippings strewn everywhere, some circled in blue ink with scratchy notes written over them; a bowl of fruit sat on the counter by the balcony door. Some of the bananas looked a little overripe. One cabinet revealed a collection of simple serving plates, another a series of mismatched teacups; a third held an excruciatingly well-organized selection of pill bottles. Miroku pulled one out at random and examined it. _Would she keep birth control in the kitchen cabinet? No…_

"What are you doing?"

The innocent grin leapt to his face even before he met her eyes. At least, it was supposed to be innocent. "Merely making sure that you're taking care of yourself." he said. "And you certainly are. I'm glad to see you're taking your—" He glanced at the bottle in his hand "—WADA cal…cium… CD3. Because—it's important to have a healthy heart."

"Calcium is for bone strength. Women are more likely to develop osteoporosis, you know. Science says so."

"Of course," Miroku agreed affably.

Kagome huffed and hefted her backpack higher on her shoulders. "Ready to go?" she asked, and marched out the door without waiting for an answer. Miroku followed close behind, mildly astounded that she could see where she was going with her nose so high in the air, and was ready to catch her when she stumbled over the threshold.

"Careful," he warned with a smirk. "Can't have you breaking your bones, now can we, O Infirm One?"

"Shut up," Kagome muttered, smacking his arm. Miroku rubbed the sore spot ruefully, mollified somewhat to see the flustered color that rose to her cheeks.

* * *

#29 – the sound of waves

A: Lullaby  
song: Stars – t.A.T.u.

Sometimes—when she's tough enough that Inuyasha's barbed criticisms don't hurt her (or she's past caring)—she takes her sleeping bag over to wherever Miroku has decided to bed down for the night and lies down next to him. It can just be that, sleeping knowing he's nearby; sometimes he slips a hand into her bag to hold her hand, or a lock of her hair, or to rub the collar of her nightshirt between his fingers and remind her he's there. There are times when he lies down next to her, stretched out on the ground with her bundled-up sweater behind his head as a pillow, and she can come close enough to rest her head on his chest.

"Miroku?" she whispers; Sango will sleep through it, but Inuyasha will know. Shippou stirs on her other side.

"Hmmm?"

"Can I…?"

"Of course, Kagome," he murmurs, and she burrows her fingertips beneath the folds of his robes to find his skin. She can feel the imprints of time there—human skin isn't really smooth, and she finds all the textures she can before she rests her head in the crook of his arm.

She can hear his blood pumping through the arteries in his arm; she worries that she's cutting off his blood flow and he'll have pins and needles when he wakes, but when she tries to move he tightens his hold and pulls her close. "Sleep," he says.

Kagome smiles—a tiny, tired, happy smile—and comes closer, close enough that the pulse throbbing in his neck brushes the tip of her nose with every beat. He's alive, she thinks, and falls asleep slowly, lulled by the rush of blood in his veins and beat of his heart, as soothing as the sound of waves pounding the cliffs.

* * *

B: Beach Vacation  
song: Kissing You – Skool Rock Remix – SNSD

"Oh my gosh! It's the beach!" Kagome squealed.

"Keh, what's so great about the ocean?" Inuyasha grumped with his ears back. "We pass by it all the time."

"Yeah, but then it's just cliffs or rocks—this is a real _beach!_" Kagome tugged at Inuyasha's sleeve and Sango's hand, dragging them into the sand. "C'mon, let's take a break? We should have some fun!"

It took a little coaxing, but eventually Inuyasha was playing in the waves with half a log as a makeshift body board, Shippou was playing with sticks and pebbles in a simple sand castle, and Kirara was basking in the sun with Sango. Kagome smiled and pushed her hair out of her face—the wind was kicking up—and looked around for Miroku. He was standing several feet away from everyone else, holding one of the soda bottles she'd passed around with good cheer.

"Miroku-sama!" she hailed him, running up with a bag of _kara mucho_. She crunched on one and offered another. "Want one?"

Miroku took her offered snack with a smile but didn't eat it. He was staring out at the water. Kagome chewed for a while, then said, "Are you okay, Miroku-sama? You seem really…" She trailed off with a shrug.

The monk said, "I have always found the ocean… overwhelming."

"Overwhelming?"

"It's—big."

Kagome swallowed, then grinned and grabbed his hand. "I know what to do with big things!"

Miroku choked. "Kagome-sama—"

"You take them in a little bit at a time. C'mon!"

Kagome dragged him into the damp, almost sticky sand of the shallows. He yelped and dragged the hems of his clothes out of the way, but Kagome just laughed and splashed deeper.

And that is how a monk and a priestess played tag on a sunny beach vacation.

* * *

#30 – kiss

A: Awake  
song: "Marry Me" Suite – At World's End

She would remember sounds. The splashing of the little waterfall; the rustle of leaves in a very light wind; overwhelming cricket song. She would remember the sticky moisture in the air, the heat that clung to her like hot water sliding down her skin in the shower. She would remember how dark it was with her eyes closed in the depths of the forest, late at night, with Miroku's lantern extinguished, kicked over as they—as they—

Her memory would stumble and trip and stutter at that point. But in the moment, in this moment, she can feel all of it. The weight of his hands buried in her hair, the texture of the pads of his fingers stroking over her scalp, the tug as a few of the strands are caught and snapped in the beads wrapped around his wrist. His body is so _warm_—so solid, padded by layers of thick cloth. And his lips… he has amazingly firm lips, for all that they look soft, and he knows how to use them, tenderly pushing and pulling at her mouth in a way that makes her think, bizarrely enough, of moonlight.

She can smell him—sweat, clay, ink, something like dark tea leaves. She can _taste_ him, and he tastes like instant ramen in a way that makes her want to laugh and cry. For a fleeting second, she thinks of Inuyasha, and that second is enough to make her stop.

She puts a centimeter between their mouths, two.

"Kagome…?" Miroku murmurs. "Are you…?"

"That was—" she says, her voice throaty and dark and satisfied. God, she's so _wet_ and she's _aching_ and Inuyasha has never made her feel like this. "Miroku… that was worth it."

He grins crookedly. "Worth what, Kagome?"

"Worth doing again. Kiss me."

* * *

B: Keep It Simple, Stupid  
song: Good Enough – Evanescence

_Keep It Simple Stupid._

Kagome took a deep breath as she stood outside Kaede's hut. This would be fine. She would just be simple, straight-forward—the worst they could do was send her back to her time, where she would have ended up with a broken heart anyway (and Grandpa said fifteen-year-olds get broken hearts all the time! When she's made miraculous recoveries from bubonic plague and rheumatism, what's a little broken heart anyway?)

_Keep It Simple Stupid!_

Just walk in the door and—ask to talk him. That's all. Start by lifting your foot. Lift your foot. Lift it! Just walk—oh, _crap._

Kagome goggled at the entire collected party of her friends—plus Kouga-kun, how _wonderful_—and choked.

"Oh hey, Kagome," Inuyasha greeted. "I was just about to come get you." He peered at her. "What's wrong? You sick or somethin'?"

_Keep—Keep It—oh no—_

Kouga crowded close to one side of her and took her hands; Inuyasha closed in on the other. She kept stammering something but it wasn't coming out and she'd had a speech ready and it would have been fine except that—

"Are you all right, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked mildly, and well, that did it.

"I THINK I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU AND I KNOW I'M SUPPOSED TO LOVE INUYASHA OR IF NOT HIM MAYBE KOUGA AND YOU LOVE SANGO AND THAT'S IT AND I'M REALLY SORRY BUT I THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW I LIKE YOU SO MUCH I'M SORRY."

Kagome panted in the silence. Everyone else blinked. Hard.

Well that was… simple.

"Umm… sorry," she added.

Inuyasha was the first to snap out of it. "Wait, _what?!_ You talkin' to the _monk?!_"

"Well, she obviously ain't talkin' to you, mutt-face!"

"She wasn't talkin' to _you_ either, ya mangy wolf!"

Oh god, why?


End file.
